Red String
by AbbyF809
Summary: What if the last episode of the First season had gone differently? Read and see;)
1. Prologue

Welcome to my new story guys:)

You wont believe how strange my last weeks have been writing-wise. I have started three different stories nefore finally sattling on this one. The one before this one even had over 4000 words already. So strange. Never happened to me before.

But whatever. Now we are here with this one and I am really looking forward to see how it will turn out.

Now...important things first:

**Disclaimer: **The Blacklist or the characters are not mine and I am not earning any money with this storie!(Just entertainment:))

ANd then on we ho with the most important thing:

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Liz felt the panic rising. Felt the body of the man she had loved and been married to for two years struggling against hers. Trying to kill her. She gasped slightly when she felt the cold metal of the gun against her hand and her fingers closed over it. She pulled, hoping that Tom would lose his grip on the deathly tool but he didn't. He moved back and Liz felt her arm stretch with the motion. She took a step closer to him, wrestling against his iron grip and just when she felt the gun turning and favoring her angle, Tom harshly pulled at it and then there was nothing but pain.

Her eyes grew wide, staring into Tom's hard ones, not believing what had happened. She staggered back, rising her arms to her stomach, where she felt something sticky flow down and soak her clothes. Liz looked down at one of her hands and another gasp left her mouth when she saw red. It felt warm and somehow comforting but it terrified her at the same time. Almost like Red, shot through her mind and if she hadn't been going into shock already, she most probably would have grinned at her own thought.

A movement broke her out of her thoughts and she started to look up, but before she could see what was going on, there was another loud bang and the man standing in front of her slid down the wall to the ground. She narrowed her eyes, thinking of the reason why he was sitting there like this, not moving. And she wondered about the voice yelling at her.

She heard it like through water, not being able to make out the words. When suddenly something touched her arm, she flinched and the pain escalated. A moan pressed through her clenched teeth and the sounds around her began to get louder again.

"Lizzie? Can you hear me? You have to lie down."

Lie down? Why? Was that Red's voice? Oh right, he had been there when Tom had brought her here. Her furrowed brows relaxed and she tried to turn to him.

"Red…I."

The hand on her arm didn't let go, instead it started pushing her backwards and another hand appeared under her arm.

"Dembe, call Mr. Kaplan. You know what to do. I'll stay with her."

When the arms under her armpits titled her backwards, Liz screamed. Her knees gave out and her hands clenched into fists.

"God…"she squeezed out through her dry throat.

"Keep calm, Elizabeth, you are going to be fine, you hear me?"

_Elizabeth? He never calls me Elizabeth. It must be serious._

Liz noticed her thoughts starting to swirl again. Timelines started to blur and her eyes fell shut.

"Elizabeth! Stay awake." Red's tone was harsh and Liz opened her eyes again. She felt his hands travel over her body and although only minutes ago she felt it going somewhat numb, now it was starting to prickle everywhere he touched her. When his hands arrived at her stomach, both of them hissed. Liz in pain and Red in sympathy.

"You will get through this." He assured her once again in a deep voice. "I won't let you leave me, you here me."

She nodded, because she thought it was what he expected from her. But her eyes closed again. The blackness overcame her and the only thing that accompanied her was the ringing voice of Raymond Reddington calling her name.

tbc...

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><p>Please let me know what you htink!*hiding in a deep dark corner*<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

Hey guys:)

Thank you all SO much for commenting and letting me know what you think! I have actually not been expecting such a positive response but now I am even more motivated to continue to write this story! THANK YOU

Now let's not talk that much and start with the first chapter:) Have fun

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see Prologue)

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

Red was kneeling next to Liz, his hands pressed against the bullet wound in her stomach, and prayed. So intensely like he hadn't for a long time anymore. Glancing to her face, he saw that her skin was starting to become gray and her lips were beginning to lose their color, except for one spot, where blood was clinging to them.

"Please, don't take her away." He pleaded and looked back at his hands. They were covered in blood and his normal reaction would be to shrug it off but this was Lizzie's blood. Her blood on his hands. Something he never had wanted to experience or see. His breath was coming harder and his injured arm was starting to throb in pain, getting weaker by the second and begging for a break. A luxury he couldn't effort right now. Lizzie's life depended on it.

The whole scene was a macabre one really, even for Red. Two people dead, one dying and Red the only one with a guarantee to come out of it alive and kneeling in a pool of blood. He had to chuckle at this. Good old Red, never runs out of luck, does he?

The loud footsteps coming closer made him look away from the blood and through the door. Dembe was running towards him with a blanket in his hand. The dark blue material looked perfect to at least slow the blood flow and Red nodded at Dembe when he started to replace Red's hands with it.

"Our paramedics will be here in five minutes." Dembe informed, frowning down at the woman on the floor. "Will she make it?"

"She has to." Red answered, distracted by the crimson blood starting to soak into the material Dembe was pressing against the wound.

As promised, five minutes later, Red felt a group of people pushing him out of the way and on wobbly legs he stood up, observing every single of their moves. They worked fast and efficient. Hooking her up to a drip infusion and stuffing gauze on and around the wound that was still bleeding through anything that it was coming in contact with.

"She needs blood." A man, Red knew was called Chuck, told him. Red nodded mutely but when they started to lift her onto a gurney they had brought with them, he came back to life.

"I'll go with you."

"That's not a good idea." Again Chuck, but now he didn't turn around to him. The almost inhuman growl that came out of Red startled him though and he twisted his head to look at him.

"I don't care what you consider a good idea." Red spat at him. "I will ride with her and there is nothing that can hold me back, understood?"

Chuck jerkily nodded at him with wide eyes and hurried to turn back and leave Red's glowering expression behind.

"We're clear." A woman called and started pushing the gurney out of the room.

"Grab my gun, Dembe." Red ordered and followed the paramedics immediately. When they reached the ambulance, Red climbed in and situated himself at Liz' side, taking her limp hand in his. Smoothing fingers over hers, he drew her hand to his mouth and placed a lingering kiss on her wrist.

"I'm here, Lizzie. You are not alone." His whispered words were so quiet, that none of the other occupants were able to hear him.

"Is she stable?" he asked louder and with a stony undertone.

"Mr. Reddington." Chuck spoke. "I will not lie to you. If we don't get blood into her fast enough, her chances will be slim."

"I can't donate. " Red murmured suddenly, not stopping the caress against her fingers.

"Pardon me?"

"We don't have the same blood type."

Chuck didn't answer. He was being paid by this man for medical emergencies and one clausal in his contract said that he was not supposed to ask questions. So, he didn't.

"We're ten minutes from the hospital." Shelby, the woman driving the ambulance announced curtly. Red's eyes closed for a moment and he gripped the hand in his tighter. Her skin was so soft, so precious that he couldn't bear to even think for a moment about the possible negative outcome of this. Their hands were slick with her blood but he didn't care, not letting go of her even when a pothole jerked his body violently.

But when the ambulance stopped with a sudden jerk, Red raised his head in confusion and annoyance.

"Why did we stop?" he demanded, twisting around to see the driver, but what he saw through the front window, made him go still and his mouth open in disbelieve.

Five black cars were blocking their way and a dozen men with their guns aimed at them were surrounding the ambulance. Certainly not the FBI.

"Lock us in." Red growled and the moment the clicking sounded, the first bullet hit the ambulance. Red didn't flinch. He knew the car was made out of bulletproof materials and it would need a lot more than just a few bullets to penetrate them.

Red's thoughts were clear and speeding in his mind like a train in full speed. There were a few options they could choose from but considering Liz' condition, at least three of them were flying out the window instantly. His hand was still clutching Liz' and he had to swallow hard when he thought about the possible reasons for this ambush. They wanted either him or Liz. In his case, there was a chance he could talk his way out of death but in Lizzie's? There was not a sliver of hope that she would actually get the medical treatment she needed right now and even if by some miracle she would survive long enough to be of any use to them, they would kill her after they've got what they wanted.

"Drive through the barrier." He ordered Shelby, glaring at her when she seemed to want to decline. "Drive." He hissed, now leaning over to her as far as he could without breaking the contact with Liz.

The woman dropped her foot on the gas pedal without any forewarning. The screeching tires and the smell of burned rubber penetrated the small space in which Red through himself over Lizzie, so that she wouldn't be jarred too badly.

"Hold her steady!" he yelled at Chuck, who was trying to hold on to the gurney, while his legs were wiped out from under his feet by a bottle, which was rolling over the floor. The gunfire was getting louder and the cursing from the driver wasn't helping to calm Red down.

The car bounced up and down a few times and Red tightened his grip on the metal bars on either side of Liz.

"C'mon." he groaned to no one in particular, but his eyes wandered down to Liz. She didn't wake and her pale skin had still a hue of gray in it but other than that she didn't seem to be fairing any worse than when they had loaded her into the ambulance. Red straightened a bit, trying to look through the back windows and what he saw made him start sweating. All cars were following them. So they meant business. Remembering that Dembe was somewhere out there, Red only hoped that his friend was smart enough not to interfere. Following and observing would be enough for now.

"Get rid of them. Make a turn!" The woman beside him yelled to the driver and before Red could warn them, the car started to title to the side and collided into something. Red felt the impact in every single of his bones. Teeth clenched, Red sneered the woman.

"Do you have a death wish?"

"No, quiet the contrary." She yelled back, while looking through the window at the cars. "We lost some of them, but at least three are still on our heels."

"I'll try another turn!" Shelby told them. "You should get her off the gurney, though."

Although Red was screaming no in his head, he knew that being on the gurney was too dangerous for Liz while the driver made the turn. With Chuck's help, they lifted her off and slowly lowered her to the ground. Positioning himself behind her, Red pulled her back against his chest and let one of his hands fall to the gauzes that were holding the bleeding at bay.

"Everything's going to be fine, darling." He whispered into her ear. Her head rested against his shoulder and he could feel her shallow breaths against his throat. "I promise you, I won't leave you."

When the driver started the turn, Red had a hard time holding himself upright and his eyes grew wide in horror when he felt something collide with their upturned side. He cursed loudly, rolling himself protectively around the woman in his arms and clenched his eyes shut. When the ambulance fell over, Red felt the impact practically in his head. His brain connected first with one side of his skull and then the other.

And then there was darkness.

Loud explosions and bangs.

A white light almost burning his eyes when he opened them into slits.

The warm body against his unmoving.

Hands touching him.

Yelling.

The warm body being torn from his almost lifeless hands.

A gasp.

"Lizzie…"

tbc...

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><p>Now I msot of you know how mean I am with those endings;) But it is just SUCH fun:)<p>

Let me know what ya think:)


	3. Chapter 2

Here comes the next chapter. It's not overly long but don't worry, the next one will be longer again:)

I want to thank you all for those kind reviews and all the fav's and follows! My motivation is high thanks to you guys;)

Now let's start with the chapter:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see prologue)

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

The world was still black when Red regained consciousness. Even after prying his eyes open, he couldn't see anything and that made him nervous. A quick inventory of his body told him that he was sore but not overly injured. No broken bones, no gunshot wounds, not big cuts and no inner bleedings. Good. Trying to lift his head, Red felt the world title and make a swing back to the other side. Nausea came suddenly in waves and bile rose up in his throat. Swallowing hard a few times and squeezing his eyes shut, he was happy to find out that after a few moments it helped and the twisting and turning in his head stopped, albeit leaving him exhausted and tired.

_I do might suffer from a slight concussion though, _he thought to himself and rubbed a hand over his head in hope it would lessen the pain of a beginning of a headache.

Lifting his head again after a few minutes, he tried to look around, but still there was only darkness to see and he let go of the idea to find his way around with help of his eyes. Slowly he turned onto his back, groaned when his head started to throb in earnest and paused for a minute to gather his strength and thoughts.

_Lizzie_

The thought bore itself into his brain and it almost took his breath away. They have taken her. Ripped her out of his arms. He hadn't been able to protect her. His stomach clenched painfully and he felt the nausea come back full force. As fast as his aching head allowed, Red turned onto his belly and rose up on his hands and knees, crawling a few inches and got sick. Mostly rocked by dry-heaves, he felt tears stinging his eyes but held them back. They wouldn't be of any use. They wouldn't bring back his Lizzie or help her in any way.

Letting himself fall back, his back collided with a wall and he gratefully leaned against it.

Just when he thought his eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness, a bright light blinded him suddenly. His eyes picked up the screeching of a metal door and he winced at the effect on his headache.

"Raymond!"

Russian accent, deep voice, never heard before. Red's mind was working on overtime, trying to memorize and categorize every single aspect of this man.

"I see you have woken up. What a pleasure to finally meet you face to face."

"I can imagine it is a pleasure for _you, _but for _me_?" Red squinted, to make his eyes focus, but it didn't work yet. "Not so much. At least until now." He chuckled humorlessly. "You could change that, though, you know?"

He could hear heavy footsteps coming closer and his body wanted to recoil, to stiffen but his trained brain told his body not to do so. Do not show any fear. Instead of stiffening, Red relaxed, straightened and looked in the direction of the man.

"And how and why would I do that? You are my prisoner."

Red's eyes were finally starting to adjust to the light change and a black form of a man was visible right before him. He looked up and grinned.

"Where is she?"

"You didn't answer my question." The man crouched down in front of him, obviously being aware of the fact that Red was in no condition to attack him right now.

"You know my answer to that question."

The features of the man were getting clearer and Red could see a wide, angular face with a bushy beard and gray hair. "But I will help you out, since I am not as rude as you seem to be." Red smirked at the man. "If you don't tell me where the girl is and how she is, I will haunt you down until one of us or we both are dead. If by any chance she has not survived this little…charade of yours…then help you god, but you won't be safe even after your death."

"Your threats don't touch me at all." The man spat at him but Red could see his face getting taut and stressed. "You are only alive because I still _need_ you alive."

He straightened and looked down at Red with a grin. He huffed and started to walk away, but Red held him back.

"Who are you?"

The chuckle leaving the man could only be described as evil.

"I guess…your biggest nightmare."

The door closed and Red was left alone with a deep frown on his face. Liz couldn't be dead. This man would have taunted him, gloated with the fact that he had taken her from him if that were the case. Red wanted to believe that. Not only for Lizzie's sake but also for his own. The hollow feeling that was spreading through his soul when the thought of her being dead entered his mind, was something he was scared of. Red let the back of his head fall back against the wall with a thud. Liz' scared eyes haunted him. Her warm blood on his hands was as vivid before his eyes as it had been the moment it had spilled from her body. When sleep claimed him again, he didn't fight it. Maybe he would be able to dream about Lizzie and the happy days in her life-when he had been watching from afar.

_Three hours later…_

The screeching of the opening door woke Red from a dream he instantly forgot when the first spots of light shone into his bleary eyes.

"Now, now. So rude of you to sleep when I bring you a gift."

"I don't know if your gift is going to be that healthy for me."

The mocking laugh rang in his ears and he glanced towards the door, not able to see a lot more than the man's silhouette and a few more people behind him, but he was happy to notice that his eyes were now a lot more cooperative than the first time had woken up in this hellhole.

"I actually agree." The man huffed, but Red could hear him shuffling closer. He stopped about two meters away from Red and fell silent, regarding his prisoner carefully.

"I have to tell you, Reddington, I am a fan of you. My boss wants me to kill you, but honestly? I would like to give you a chance. At least a chance to make peace with your world before I kill you."

Red laughed hoarsely, stretching his legs out on the floor.

"A bit presumptuous, aren't we?"

"No." the clear and heavy accented answer surprised Red slightly but he didn't have a lot of time to think about this before the Russian man in front of him gestured to one of the other shadows standing nearby. He came closer and Red wondered why his steps were that heavy and why his silhouette was so out of proportion. His questions were answered when the man bent down and a dull thud sounded and Red's eyes caught a glimpse of pale flesh.

"I hope you'll enjoy. I'll leave you something to patch up your pet."

Red was stunned for a second, when the men retreated and left a small window open in the door, but only seconds later his gaze returned to the still form lying in front of him.

"Oh god, Lizzie."

tbc...

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><p>Let me know what ya think:) I am always like jumping up and down when I see someone reviewed:)<p>

oh and I forgot to mention that I still have no beta, so please dont hate me for mistakes. I do my best to re-read and correct but what can I say?...things slip by sometimes;)


	4. Chapter 3

Here comes the thrid chapter and you guys know we are just starting, right?

Oh by the way...I am sooo jealous of all the people that get to see the new episode on sunday...but I hope ya'll have a LOT of fun anyway;)I'll be with you in my thoughts cause I am SO sure it is going to be a blast;) The second season will start over here at the end of Fabruary so I have to be a little bit patient, still:(

Now let's start with the new chapter:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

The Russian man closed the heavy door behind himself and his men and smiled. The hushed, horror filled voice of Red was ringing in his ears and satisfied him. He halted his movements until he heard shuffling behind the door and then he nodded at the three guards surrounding him.

"Go to the survey room. Watch them. Don't stop recording."

They saluted curtly and he was left alone, making his way into the other direction.

Within minutes, he reached a single, battered door at the end of the corridor and he unlocked it, walked into the room. Looking around he felt a moment of proudness when he surveyed the numerous monitors, laptops and phones strategically placed around the space.

Stepping up to an old-fashioned looking phone, the man picked it up and started dialing a number from memory. Seconds later a deep voice appeared.

"Did you get him?"

"I did."

"Where is he?"

"Before I give him to you, I'd like to play a little bit."

"That's not what we had agreed on."

The man laughed.

"My brother…I simply don't care." He paused before continuing. "500.000 Rubel as prepayment, additional to the payment we have agreed on." The demand was made in a calm voice and the response, the man knew, had to be equally calm. Never show fear or weakness. The top rule of being a criminal. Not always easy but most of the time it was crucial to survival.

"I will agree to give you 100.000 Rubel and Reddington is mine. Be smart Ilia and agree."

"I don't agree. 500.000 and that is my last word. I will await your answer in the next three days."

He replaced the phone on the handle and sighed happily. For the first time in his life, he would be on top of the game. Beating his brother and getting all the fun, money and admiration of their family. Ilia was sure his father was watching from heaven and knew exactly what his sons were doing. This was an opportunity to show him, even if he wasn't alive for it any more, what he could do.

_In the cell…_

For a few more seconds after the door had closed, Red had stayed rooted to the spot in shock. Only his eyes were rapidly moving over Liz' body. To his horror, Red saw that the men had removed her clothes and she was only left with her underwear. Her pale skin was almost glowing in the dark and the only dark spot, was the wound on her stomach. The sight of the still slowly seeping blood woke Red from his dream like state and he shuffled over the dirty floor to kneel beside the injured woman.

"Lizzie?" he tried, not knowing if she had woken up at all after he had last seen her, but she didn't show any sign of hearing him, so he turned his attention to the wound.

Obviously, it had been treated somehow, since the blood wasn't freely flowing anymore and when he bent down and got closer to it he could see that the edges of the wound had been partially glued together. From experience Red knew, that in this particular case, skin glue was useless in the long run. Skin glue on bleeding or too deep wounds could maybe slow the bleeding for a while but it would do nothing for the healing. Red cursed at that discovery. His eyes travelled to Liz' face and he was surprised to see her looking a bit better than before. Although still pale, the gray color was gone and her lips were simply pale and not blue anymore. Instantly he started searching her arms for puncture wounds, and although the lighting was poor, his keen eyes finally found what he was searching for. A puncture wound made by a slightly bigger needle. It was rimmed with caked blood and a bruise but Red was sure that their kidnappers had given her at least as much blood as she needed to survive this injury for a while.

Why would they do that? Red wondered and frowned, but his thoughts dissipated the moment he heard the soft moan.

"Lizzie?"

She didn't answer and she didn't open her eyes, seemingly starting to awaken but being held prisoner in the darkness that was pulling her under.

Suddenly Red remembered the man saying something about patching up his toy. Looking around, Red found a metal tray standing on the ground only a meter away from them. Reaching for it and sliding it over the floor, Red found not only gauze on it but also sutures,needles, antiseptics and bandages. Not even close to enough but it certainly could safe Liz' life. At least for the next few hours.

"Ok then, Lizzie. I hope you will stay unconscious for a while longer, because our friends have not been kind enough to add any kind of anesthetic to their gift."

Red knew she couldn't hear him, but somehow he felt as if his jittery nerves were calming when he spoke to her. Maybe it was just that he liked hearing himself talk, he thought, scoffing at himself, but in the end it didn't matter as long as his hands would stop to shake and he would be able to take care of Liz properly.

"I will have to clean your wound first. That might hurt, but it is not going to be as bad as the stitching that will follow." He laughed quietly while reaching for the antiseptic and a small gauze. "Sounds bad, doesn't it? But I promised I wouldn't ever lie to you, so I won't." He fell silent, while pouring the clear liquid on the gauze and positioning himself closer to her stomach to be able to see better. "But don't worry. I've done this before. I had more light at that time, I admit, but the person survived."

The first dab to the wound was filled with anxiety, waiting for a flinch or a scream from Liz, but nothing happened. She stayed lying before him, limp and unresponsive.

Red sighed in relief and proceeded, while talking.

"You know the person. It was Dembe, you know? The scar is so minimal that I doubt you would notice it if you didn't know it was there."

Done with the cleaning, Red was satisfied with the outcome. He was able to see more pale skin now and the skin glue had come off easily. But he had to hurry, since the blood was again starting to trickle from the wound.

"Now prepare yourself for my exceptional stitching skills, sweetheart."

The first piercing of skin was just like the first contact with the antiseptic. Anxious and careful but once again he was rewarded with silence and a motionless body, so he started talking again.

"I was thinking, I believe the bullet is still somewhere stuck in you, Lizzie. Not a comforting thought, I know, but for now it is actually a fact that might save your life."

He narrowed his eyes and grasped another gauze to clean the skin from the fresh blood.

"Imagine if you had two holes in you, Lizzie?" his voice sounded a bit high to himself but he shrugged it off. "It would be really inconvenient in our…well…predicament."

Again, he paused to clean the next section of skin before starting to talk again.

"I can't promise you that it isn't causing any damage inside you but would you prefer me digging inside you, with this poor light around here, to fish the bullet out? I don't think so. You would rather die of blood poisoning." He chuckled but the smile faded almost immediately. What he would give for her to snap at him right now. To give him her patent "are you serious?" look. Shaking off those thoughts, Red concentrated back on his task and pierced the needle through a different part of soft skin.

"I am sure Dembe will be kind enough to show you his scar, so that you can be assured that I am really good at this." He organized his thoughts and frowned. "Although I am sure you will have to go into surgery to have the bullet removed and I can't promise you that the doctors will work as good as I." he smirked, remembering a renegade associate complaining about the scar a surgeon had left while removing a piece of a toothbrush out of his stomach. He patted his own shoulder mentally, when he thought of that incident. A toothbrush…so simple and so effective.

Once the last stitch was made, Red clipped off the suture tied it off. Examining his work for a moment, he finally placed a gauze over the now closed wound and placed the edge of the bandage over it.

"I know you are never really happy with me when I touch you, sweetheart, but I think in this case you will be ok with it."

He grunted when he slid one arm under her waist and slightly raised it from the floor to be able to wrap the bandage around her body. Loweringher when he finished, Red sat back and wiped away the sweat that had formed on his forehead.

"You must be cold." He whispered and started taking of his jacket, grimacing when his back popped painfully.

"Oh, the age." He groaned and positioned himself behind Liz. Carefully sliding his hand under her armpits, he raised her torso up and started to slide her arms into the jacked. He could feel the coldness seeping through his shirt where her back was resting against his chest.

When the jacket was loosely hanging on her body, Red stayed in this position for a while. Just holding her and breathing in her smell, that he only an hour ago, thought would be lost to him forever now.

Slowly he started looking around them, seeing things he hadn't been able to see before. A mattress was lying in the farthest corner of the room and shackles, fixed to the wall were right over it. A chilling picture wanted to spread through Red's brain but he suppressed it and simply ignored the urge to imagine the 'whst if's' for now. A small barrel that was leaking water was standing in a corner and Red could only assume that the rancid smell was coming from it. He cursed. They needed water but it was as clear as 's crystal collection that they would not drink from this.

He looked at the woman in his arms when he felt the muscles in her stomach twitch.

"It's alright, Lizzie. It's not that bad. We're still alive, so they must have an agenda and when they do, you can always talk your way out of it. Trust me on that." Murmuring those words into her hair, Red hoped that any kind of hidden surveillance equipment wouldn't pick up what he said.

With a groan, he rose up an inch and while still holding Liz up with one arm, he maneuvered himself to her side, so that he could slip the other arm under her knees and position her comfortably in his arms while he rose to his feet. Before he reached the stained mattress, Liz moaned in his arms. Looking into her face Red noticed her brows drawing together in a frown and most possibly in pain and when her eyelids fluttered and a streak of brilliant blue peeked through them, Red almost laughed in relief.

"Welcome back, Lizze." He muttered against her head and dropped a small kiss on her hair.

He thought he heard her trying to say his name, but it was more like another moan, so he chose not to say anything else and get on with his task of lying her on the mattress he was already holding her over. The pain in his back was getting worse when he started to bent down and it shot down to his legs like hot pokers. Holding back a moan of his own, he simply held his breath for a second and then exhaled it slowly and controlled, breathing through the pain, while he slipped his arms from under Liz. Schooling his features, Red laid a hand against Liz' cheek and smiled warmly down at her.

"Say something sweetheart."

"Euh…"

A chuckled rumbled in his chest and the smile widened.

"That's not a word." He explained patiently.

"God…" Liz pressed through pressed together teeth and although Red could see the pain clearly written all over his face, he couldn't hold back his teasing answer.

"Oh…I am flattered, but I prefer Red...at least from you."

Liz simply groaned and Red wondered if it was in annoyance or because she was incapable to snark back properly.

Smoothing his fingertips over the soft skin of her cheek, Red drew his face closer, trying to catch her constantly opening and closing eyes.

"Focus, Lizzie." He softly ordered. "We are in a bit of a clinch here and you know what they say, two brains know more than one."

"Russian." Liz whispered.

"I know."

There was a small pause and finally Liz opened her eyes fully.

"It…hurts."

Then her eyes closed and her body went limp again. Red sighed and let his forehead gently touch hers. "I know." He breathed, closing his own eyes.

tbc...

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><p>As always: please let me know what you think:)<p> 


	5. Chapter 4

Hey guys:)

here comes the last pre-written chapter...it kind of always makes me nervous to know that I dont have any puffer chapter anymore but hey...with your support I think I will be alright:)

Thank you all for the great reviews, follows and fav's:) I am always over the moon when reading them:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see Prologue)

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

A dull ache in her belly was the first thing she was aware of. Slowly it grew into pain and the coldness started to register. She shuddered and the burning in her stomach started to get worse. Her eyelids were heavy and her throat dry like the desert itself. She tried to wet them with her tongue, but it felt thick and too dry to move. A groan released itself from her throat and again she tried to open her eyes, this time succeeding.

"Don't move, Lizzie."

The nervousness of waking up in an unknown place and being injured instantly vanished. Red was there. Red would protect her. Red would safe her. Her lids started to fall again and the darkness was calling her again.

"No, no." Red's hand fell onto her shoulder and Liz wondered if the air grazing her cheek was his breath. He had to be really close. "Try to stay awake for a while."

Her eyes popped open again and finally she saw his face hanging over her own. He didn't look so hot either and she felt like grinning when she saw the dirty streaks on his cheek. He kind of looked adorable. Now she felt like grinning at herself for such stupid thoughts but she didn't. She was simply too tired.

"What?" the whispered word was the only thing she was able to press out and when Red smiled at her she assumed that it was the right thing to say.

"So nice to hear your voice again, sweetheart. How do you feel?"

Liz thought about this question. Since she didn't feel up to answer in long and very intelligent sentences she settled for something that seemed the most important to her.

"Cold."

Again, Red smiled and Liz felt proud of herself.

"I imagine you are. You lost quiet a lot of blood."

The suddenly worried look on his face and the fact that she actually didn't remember losing any blood, made her frown and try to think really hard.

"Blood?"

Red considered how wise it would be to tell her what had happened but he didn't feel like holding anything back right now. If they would be interrogated later, Liz needed to know what their situation was.

"Tom shot you." He saw the information sink in slowly and when her eyes widened, he continued. "Mr. Kaplan send our ambulance but…we were intercepted."

"By whom?"

Red sat down more comfortably, but never removed his hand from her shoulder.

"I don't know. Currently we are prisoners of a to me unknown man."

"Prisoners?" The shock in her face was almost touchable and her body started to quiver. "Why?"

Red sighed, avoiding her gaze.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Liz felt stupid repeating his words, but her brain was still a bit too slow for anything more productive. And the pain was still getting worse.

"Lizzie, for some reason they have saved your life." Red looked back into her eyes and Liz was surprised to see the faint trace of wetness in them.

"You were in a…critical condition and they gave you enough blood for you to survive." He cleared his throat and Liz felt his hand move to her cheek, tracing his fingers over her cheekbone. "I was sure that I wouldn't see you again, Lizzie."

She didn't answer. What was she supposed to say? Thank you? You're welcome? I'm sorry? Before she had the opportunity to decide on an appropriate answer, Red smiled at her and laughed.

"But you are here and that's all that matters. We will get out of here."

"How, Red?"

"I don't know yet."

Suddenly Liz giggled, making Red's eyebrows rise in surprise.

"I've never…" she had to stop and cough, grimacing when fire started to form in her belly. "heard you admit so often…that you don't know…something."

Red grunted and shook his head.

"My dear, I do not believe this is the right place or time to make fun of me."

Liz was still trying to breathe through the pain, when Red suddenly went still and his hand tightened around her shoulder.

"Someone's coming." He whispered and stood up. "Let me talk to them. Pretend to be asleep."

Only seconds later, the door was unlocked and Ilia came in and chuckled.

"You patched her up, I see."

"Who are you?"

Red stepped closer to the man in front of him and stopped only when he saw two guards stepping into the room and pointing their guns at him.

"I am Ilia. My last name is unimportant. You don't know me Raymond." Ilia laughed. "You have never heard of me and you also have never done anything to me."

Red scowled in confusion and his head titled to the side.

"So, would you mind telling me why you are holding us as prisoners here? Do _you _have any idea who _I _am? What I can do?"

"Oh please…" ilia scoffed. "I know who you are and I also know who she is." He pointed at Liz, who was keeping her eyes closed.

"But I think you don't know what I am for you right now." He smiled at Red, clapping his hands together when he started laughing again. "I am the only thing keeping you alive, Raymond. "

The silence after his admission was deafening. Red could only stare at Ilia, his brain not telling him how to proceed. Finally, he decided for the simplest thing there was.

"What do you want from us for saving us?" Red asked.

"Oh…you've got it all wrong." Ilia huffed amusedly. "I never said I _want _you alive. I keep you alive because I need something from you, before I kill you."

"And what would that be?"

Now curious, Red smiled at the man, although it didn't reach his eyes, which were cold as ice.

"I want…what is .head." Ilia whispered the last words while once more pointing a finger at Liz. "My brother is stupid enough to not research his enemies. He wants to kill you. A revenge he says. But I…I did my homework. I know more than my brother would ever give me credit for."

Red's face became stony, all the blood draining out of it.

"You will not touch her."

"And who will stop me? You?"

Ilia almost gurgled with laughter while he retreated to the door.

"My men will be back in a short while to start the procedure." Just when he was about to walk out and close the door, he turned and smiled. "Oh and she can stop pretending to sleep now."

Slowly Red turned and glanced at Liz. Her eyes were open, albeit bleary and she was glaring at him the best she could.

"Reddington…"her voice shaky, but her tone said all there was to say.

"We talk about this when you feel better."

"Feel better?" Liz laughed and then suppressed a cough. "I have a hole in my stomach."

Red snickered in amusement.

"Well…more reason to stay calm and let me do my job." He knelt besides her, taking in her concerned features. "How do you feel Lizzie?"

Just when she was about to open her mouth and answer, he shook his head at her.

"The truth. No FBI hero tales." His penetrating gaze and his raised eyebrows, told her he meant business and she decided to at least partially tell him the truth.

"I've been better."

"So I've noticed." Red laughed. Liz rolled her eye, but grimaced when her head throbbed in pain.

"I feel…weak. I have a headache and my stomach hurts."

"What kind of pain is it? More like the surface twitching pain or the deeper, radiating one?"

"I guess the second."

Red replaced her hand with his own on her stomach and fell silent. Liz grimaced when the skin was moved, but bit her tongue to not make any sound. Red looked back into her eyes and winced.

"There is an infection spreading. The skin around the wound is starting to get warm. I don't have anything here to stop it."

Liz had hoped he wouldn't find out. She knew the feeling when an infection was starting but she hadn't thought that Red would get his hand on her and simply feel for the heat.

"But I am cold." She muttered stubbornly and with the word cold came shivers that jarred her wound. "Au…" was the only thing she was able to press out.

"What are you not telling me, darling?"

Her questioning gaze was something Red already has gotten accustomed to and didn't believe in her innocence for a second. She was bad at lying and she knew it and for the love of god, Red could not understand why she was even attempting it.

"I know you, Lizzie." He told her before she had the chance to question him.

She sighed, squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away from him.

"I think…I may be bleeding internally."

Red smacked his lips and nodded jerkily, staring at Liz.  
>"Great…"<p>

tbc...

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><p>Let me know what ya think! I have to come up with a new chapter soon, so moral support is needed:);)<p> 


	6. Chapter 5 and 6

Hey there:)

Here comes a longer chapter with some more darker stuff but I guess we are going to work ourself into the light again from now on;) slowly but steadily I think:)

I want to thank Jonesy813 for the help and for having my back on this chapter:) It would have been a lot scarier for me to post it without you:) Hope you'll lke the end product:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

"How do you figure?" Red asked, hoping against better knowledge, that Liz would be wrong, not recognize the symptoms of internal bleeding. She was in shock for certain and symptoms could be confusing even under normal circumstances.

"It hurts…and I have problems breathing."

"That's not enough, Lizzie. What are you not telling me?"

Liz fumbled with the sleeve of Red's jacket, avoiding his gaze.

"C'mon, Elizabeth, I don't think this is the right place or time to feel shy."

Sighing, Liz finally raised her eyes to his and started talking quietly.

"I woke up before being dragged here."

"I guessed so, since you knew that they were Russian."

She nodded, swallowing with difficulty.

"I felt dizzy and…got sick."

"A normal reaction when you are in shock."

"There was blood." Liz deadpanned, avoiding Red's eyes.

This information hit Red like a ton of bricks. This made any hope he had had disappear into thin air. A hand found its way to his head and he started rubbing it in a nervous habit over his short hair.

"That's not good."

Liz snorted upon hearing his statement.

"Really?"

Red didn't answer. His thoughts started to whirl in his head, options were presenting themselves to him and were tossed away again. Only when a gentle hand grabbed his own, Red looked back at Liz and tried to smile reassuringly.

"Everything's going to be fine." He told her.

"Don't patronize me, Red. I know it's bad."

Although her words were serious, Liz gave him a smile, but it faded away when the next question came into her mind.

"What do they want from me?"

"Information."

She winced when a stabbing pain traveled from her stomach to all of her other nerve endings she was aware of.

"What information?"

Red stayed mute, what angered Liz to no end. Even in this situation, in which people were threatening to kill her for it, he wouldn't tell her the truth. Who did he think he was? This was her life. Her past. She had a right to know about it.

"Tell me, Red, or I swear to god I will not speak one more word with you ever again."

Red's deep laugh was unexpected and to Liz surprise sounded genuinely amused.

"Oh sweetheart…you have no idea..."

His eyes had wandered while talking and when he suddenly stopped, Liz furrowed her brows in confusion.

Before she could ask him about it though, he turned his back to her and after taking a while to look around the cell, he whispered.

"There is a camera above you. It seems to be the only one."

Liz tried to suppress the urge to look at the camera and simply grunted in confirmation.

Before either one of them could say something again, the door was unlocked and shoved open. The bang it created when it collided with the wall made Liz flinch and Red jump to his feet. His eyes scanned the men standing in the doorway but he recognized only one of them. It was the guard that was always accompanying Ilia. The man stepped closer and Red did the same.

"What do you want?" his voice was steady, not betraying the unease that was starting to spread through his stomach.

"From you? Nothing."

He gestured to the other three men and they immediately started moving. Before Red could even blink, two of them grabbed his arms on either side and dragged him to the opposite wall.

The third man, to Red's horror, made his way to Liz and bent over her.

"Don't touch her!" Red growled, starting to struggle.

He watched how the man propped her up, shed the jacket from her shivering form and scooped a feebly protesting Liz into his arms. Red listened to her pained cries when she was jostled when the man stood up with her.

Red wasn't aware of himself shouting and trying to punch his captors until a fist connected with his mouth and the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. By the time he was able to see straight again, the door was closed and he could only hear the footsteps outside. Running up to the door, he banged against it with his fists in anger.

"Let her go! She doesn't even know what is going on!"

His yells were met with silence though.

_Meanwhile in the corridor…_

Liz squeezed her eyes shut in hope to stay conscious of fear of not knowing what would happen to her. She knew that Red was not coming with her, since his shouts had faded into the distance. Her mind was working overtime but her thoughts were jumbled and the only constant and clear thought was the longing to have Red near her. He would know what to do. He would be calm…well, calmer than her at least. The arms around her were not even remotely similar to Red's and their hard grip on her was making her tremble with fear and disgust. What would they do to her? What information did they want from her. Opening her eyes into slits, Liz observed the chipped ceiling move by her, lulling her into a strangely calm state after a while.

She heard another door open and a bright light was shone into her eyes. She winced and turned her head away but a large hand prevented her from doing so.

"As far as I can see, she is coherent enough to talk." A stranger's voice drifted into her ear and when the light was turned off, her mind started to drift again.

She felt her back hit a cold, hard materila and when her still bare skin came into full contact with it, Liz shivered violently. She felt a presence beside her and another shiver passed through her.

"Welcome my dear." The Russian accent sounded familiar to her and she pried her eyes open, seeing Ilia's face in front of her. Liz only groaned as an answer and saw the man grimace at her.  
>"I know you can talk. Talking to Reddington worked quiet well a few minutes ago."<br>Inwardly Liz cringed at her own stupidity. Of course they had surveillance in the cell.  
>Ilia took a few steps back, letting her follow him with her eyes. He turned to her and smiled.<p>

"My dear child, I am sure you have heard this story many times before, but I will tell it to you again."  
>Sitting down in a chair next to the table she was lying on, he leaned back and inhaled deeply before starting to talk.<br>"It is the story of a little girl, who was abandoned by her parents a long time before she lost them to their greed and materialism…"

Chapter 6

Liz' stomach churned and she had to force herself to calm down so that she wouldn't have to throw up again. Finally, she would hear the story. Her story. But for some reason, although she had fought to hear about her past and she had told herself that she didn't care how she found out or from whom she would hear it, now that she had actually achieved her goal, she regretted not hearing it from Red. He was so very good at telling stories.

"I didn't know your parents personally." Ilia started to speak after taking a sip of water from a bottle. "My brother didn't either, but we heard the stories. Your father, Gregory was his name if I recall right, was good at what he did. A career criminal with an instinct that resembled a wild animal. With such skills you can get very high in the criminal world, you know?" he laughed suddenly, startling Liz.  
>"Your…Red…he has them too. The instincts. But you know what his problem is?"<br>It took Liz a few seconds until she realized that he actually wanted an answer from her.  
>"Me?"<br>"Smart girl."  
>Liz frowned partly in confusion, partly in pain and her hand wandered to her stomach.<br>"I wouldn't touch the wound." Ilia suggested lightly. "I believe you want to be awake for this conversation."  
>Reluctantly Liz let her hand fall to her side, her eyes narrowing at the ceiling in concentration.<p>

"Now you see…You are not his only weakness. One of the biggest, if not _the_ biggest but you are not alone. Good old bad Red has…feelings." The word left his mouth as if it was something disgusting.  
>"He is prone to develop feelings for people he rescues. Really bad habit, since things like <em>this<em> can happen. I have you both now and he can do nothing to change that because he would never think of sacrificing you."  
>"He'll kick your butt so hard you won't be able to sit for a week." Was Liz' comment and she chuckled, albeit weakly. To her surprise Ilia ignored her and continued talking.<br>"So, your father was a genius with almost no weaknesses. Your mother…there is not a lot known about her. Her name was Jeanette and she was really pretty. But if I had to decide, I would say you take after your father. Not only the way you look but also the way you think." He paused, observing her but when she didn't react, he started talking again.  
>"She wasn't a criminal, at least she didn't conduct any businesses herself, but she was aware of her husband's doings and more than once she actually participated. You know when women get a taste of money, of this fancy world that can be bought by it…sometimes they get…well…a bit confused about the priorities in their life. Unfortunately, your mom was one of them. They got too deep into their business, forgetting that they actually have <em>you<em> to care for. Make sure that bad men like my father don't know of your existence. They failed."  
>Liz swallowed hard. Bile was rising into her throat and she wasn't sure if it was because of the injury or how Ilia was telling her about her past. It sounded indifferent but at times it sounded as if he was enjoying himself. Tightly closing her eyes, she suppressed the tears.<br>"They started inviting business partners into their home. Only a few rooms away from you they entertained the worst of the worst and one day they finally became too careless."

Ilia suddenly stood up and started to pace around the table she was lying on. It made Liz dizzy to follow him with her eyes so she simply closed them again.  
>"There was a man in your house the evening of the fire."<br>Liz' eyes snapped open immediately.  
>"He told your father about a secret, men in high ranks had. Something very important."<br>Now Ilia stopped beside her and leant over her.  
>"Since your parents are dead, there is only one other person left who was present at that evening in the house."<br>"I…I haven't…"  
>"Heard anything?" Ilia laughed.<p>

"The so called good guys were watching the house. There are pictures and you my dear have been in the same room and have been listening to every single word they've said. The information almost every single criminal and high ranking officer is after, is in your head. Buried somewhere among all the childish fear of the fire later that night. I want it."  
>"But I don't remember." Liz whispered, feeling her hands starting to tremble.<br>"Oh…you will remember." He smiled at her and gestured to one of his men. Liz felt a hand holding her shoulder down and another reach for her head.  
>"You have no amnesia." Ilia explained calmly, while watching his men prying open Liz' mouth. Her struggling was weak and she wasn't able to scream.<br>"You were only too young to remember now, but this new synthetic drug my people developed will help you. And you know what the nicest thing about this drug is?"

Liz didn't hear him. The rough skin on the hands was scratching her face and she could taste the bitter powder on her tongue immediately after they put the drug into her mouth.  
>"You're going to be so out of it that you will tell me everything I want to know."<br>Ilia's laughter mixed with Liz' screams in her head and she couldn't hold on to her tears anymore. Vision swimming and ears ringing, Liz turned her head and breathed out the only name that came into her mind.  
>"Red…"<p>

Meanwhile in the cell…

Red was walking up and down the length of the cell and was from time to time cursing and scratching his head in frustration. How could he have failed so badly? Liz had no idea what those people wanted from her and Red was sure they would tortured her as long as it took her to either die or remember. In the case of remembering, they would kill her afterwards anyway. Maybe, if she still coherent enough she would keep the things she remembered from them, but it would only prolong her suffering and by that time, Red was sure, she would wish for a quick death to come.

In rage he kicked against the barrel, spilling the water inside. He cursed when he saw it soaking into his jacket that was lying on the ground. With fast movements, he snagged it up and patted the water off. When his hand hit something hard, Red paused for a second but hurriedly started to pat and curse again, while turning his back to the camera. His hand slid into the pocket and with a sigh of endless relief, Red's fingers closed around his cell phone. He had fought Dembe with tooth and nails so that he wouldn't have to take it with him on his search for Berlin and now he felt like kissing Dembe until he would simply pass and do it again when he came to.

Glancing at the display he thanked god that the walls weren't thick enough to make the phone useless. Typing hurriedly a massage to Dembe, Red quickly shoved the phone back into the pocket and sat onto the ground, clutching his jacket in sweaty hands.

tbc...

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><p>I hope it was an alright chapter and that you enjoyed it. If you did(or if you didnt) please let me know!:)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Hi guys:)

Here comes the next chapter with, I guess for a lot of you, a nice twist into the "light";)

I'm not gonna keep you from reading too long, I just want to thank you all for reading, reviewing and everything else! **THANK YOU**

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine (for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Liz didn't know how much time had past, but she didn't know a lot of anything right now. Her eyes were closed but she saw pictures flying in front of her eyelids, taunting her with small information she wasn't understanding and didn't recognize. Were they even real? Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her because of the drug. She heard voices all around her talking but she was not able to understand what they were saying, only that they were angry.

A memory of Red invaded her mind and she smiled. Red standing in a shop and picking out hats. Looking all smug and endearing at the same time. Red looking at her with something in his eyes that she couldn't place at all. Some emotion that was unknown to her and that he wouldn't disclose to her. Red making fun of Ressler and then…Red in a fire?

She frowned, her muscles tensing and the shaking she felt in them was hurting her stomach. The smoke was so thick and penetrating her nose and invading her lungs, making her cough and cry out in fear. A man walking through the fire and someone calling. Liz felt the tears streaming down her face and a sob leaving her throat.

Flames were engulfing her toys and her furniture and the heat was starting to prickle on her skin painfully. She was crying out for her father, her mother but no one answered and the only thing she could hear was the roar of the fire around her and the melting sound of her dolls.

"No…" Liz gasped, shaking her head in desperate need to toss those memories away, forget them once more.

Her arms lifted and her hands covered her ears weakly when a voice started to chant the word "Remember!" into them.

Again, she saw the man walking through the fire but now she felt him grab her, lifting her into his arms and sheltering her body with his own from the flames.

"Daddy?" her small voice was almost inaudible over the creaking of the wooden floorboards, which were doing their best to hold their own against the blazing fire.

"Everything is going to be alright." A deep, smooth voice growled into her ear and she was gasping for air.

"Red?"

That wasn't possible. It was supposed to be her father rescuing her, not Red. Shaking like a leave, Liz concentrated on recognizing the face of the man carrying her but her own face stayed firmly tucked into his neck and suddenly there was no doubt in her mind. That smell. Liz opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. "Oh my god…" the unique smell that only Red had. A mixture of sandalwood and gunpowder and something she never have been able to identify.

"What did they say?!" a disembodied voice shouted at her and she cringed. "What did they say!"

"Everything is going to be ok." Liz whispered, hearing those words repeating themselves in her head over and over again. Red's voice calming her fears and lulling her into unconsciousness.

While Liz was welcoming the darkness, Ilia was furious seeing her not responsive and not getting any answers. His face had turned red and his hands were clenched into fists.

"You have given me your word that this would work, Luka!" he shouted at the man standing next to the metal table and Liz.

"I don't know why it doesn't have the desired effect on her. Maybe her body is too weak…"

"We've given her blood so that she would be strong enough!" Ilia raged, reaching for the gun in his pocket and training it on the rapidly paling man.

"I don't know, boss. Maybe she is still traumatized by the fire and stuck on those memories. We would need to hypnotize her to get her through those then."

"Can't you just tell her to not think of that?"

"You can't influence her mind with only the drug as much as you could under hypnosis." The man explained with a quivering voice. Ilia simply stared at him.

"And you couldn't have thought of that earlier?"

Luka gulped, sweat pouring down his face.

"You told me she was leading a normal life and that she passed all the psyche examinations at Quantico. I haven't expected a still present trauma."

Ilia cursed and lowered the gun, turning away from the man.

"Get her back in the cell and find a hypnotist." He barked, walking out of the room.

Half an hour later, the door to the cell opened and Red jumped to his feet as fast as his aching back would allow.

"What happened? Is she alright?"

The guard didn't answer, as expected, only walked to the mattress and situated Liz on it. Walking out, he didn't even look back, to see Red hurrying to Liz' side and kneeling beside her.

"Lizzie? Darling, can you hear me?"

He felt panic rising in him when she didn't answer. Her face was pale, her entire body covered in sweat and goose bumps. Lying a hand on her forehead, Red cursed inwardly and caressed her messy hair. A high fever was obviously spreading through her body and there was nothing for Red to do about it.

"Did you remember, Lizzie?" he asked her quietly, wondering what they had done to her and what the consequences would be now.

At least an hour later and after pulling the jacket once more over her bare body, he heard the first sign that Liz was coming around again. A low moan, accompanied by a rustling of his jackets material sent him in a matter of seconds to her side, holding her cold hand in his own.

"Can you hear me, Lizzie?"

Another groan from her and Red's worry increased again. When her head lolled to the side and her eyes opened into slits, he breathed a sigh of relief. Lowering his head so that he could look into her eyes he shook his head in frustration. Liz' pupils were huge and the brilliant blue of her eyes was almost completely taken over by the black of it.

"Drugs…" Red breathed and shook his head. Stroking Liz' hair away from her face, he closed his eyes and dropped a lingering kiss against her forehead.

"Stay strong, sweetheart." He murmured against her skin. "Dembe's coming for us."

Liz stirred but didn't open her eyes again and Red satisfied himself with checking out her wound. Seeing the fresh blood seeping through the once clean bandages, he grimaced and balled his hand into fists.

For two hours he sat at Liz' side, stroking a hand up and down her arm and taking his eyes off her for only seconds. When a loud explosion rattled through the walls and the light suddenly clicked off, Red sprang into action.

"Dembe's here, darling. We have to move now."

Carefully, Red positioned his arms under Liz and slowly lifted her up. With a few short movements she was positioned as comfortable and as safe as it was possible in his arms and Red walked back a few steps, until his back hit the wall.

"Trust me, Lizzie, Dembe knows what he is doing and you will be in a hospital in a blink of an eye." He chuckled. "Maybe not a blink of an eye but you know what I mean."

The seconds ticked by and then minutes began to stretch into an, for Red, unbelievingly long half an hour, he started to curse under his breath. Just when he was about to start worrying, heavy footsteps caught his attention. When they stopped in front of door, Red could hear hushed voices, he could barely recognize. But when Dembe's voice became louder and the door started to move, Red sighed in relief.

"Dembe, my friend. You truly are a sight for sore eyes."

"We have to hurry." Dembe told him with a grim expression on his face, holding the door open for Red when he passed his friend. "How is Agent Keen?"

"She's alive. For now."

Dembe nodded, leading the way to a door down the corridor and letting Red enter before himself.

"We have to go through the tunnels. Leon went into the other direction to distract their men." He explained. "There are too many. We have to retreat."

"So I assume we are not very well armed?"

Sifting Liz' weight a bit, Red stopped immediately in his tracks when he heard the soft groan coming from her.

"Lizzie?"

Her eyes were moving rapidly under her eyelids and her lips were moving, trying to say something.

"What is it? You can tell me sweetheart."

"Daddy…"

Red frowned at the woman in his arms and started to move again when Dembe urged him on with one hand.

"Don't leave…"

A tired and anguished sob made Red almost stop again, but he knew that they had to hurry, so he ignored his urge to simply hug and kiss her, giving her comfort in her distress.

"Everything is going to be ok, Lizzie. " he whispered into her ear, hoping that it would be enough for now.

"No…so hot."

"It's ok…" Red tried to shush her, concerned for someone hearing her. "Relax, Lizzie."

"Red…"

Red stilled his movements and an expression similar to fear took over his face.

"Lizzie…"

She couldn't remember him, could she? Her head lolled from side to side, signaling to Red that she was indeed, still caught in her memories of the past.

"It hurts…" she stuttered and rubbed her hand over the scar.

"Raymond, we have to move." Dembe's voice hissed into Red's ear and he nodded automatically but still didn't start walking again. Only when a hand pulled at his arm, he raised his head and looked at his friend.

"Move. Now" Dembe barked and dragged Red with him in the direction of a small light Red could spot at the end of the tunnel. Red made two steps of his own when he heard shouts and bangs from behind him.

"I guess we really should hurry up now." He muttered and made sure to not let Dembe out of his sight. Suddenly Dembe disappeared behind a corner, calling for Red to follow him.

"I never liked tight or crowded spaces." Red complained when he noticed the corridor narrowing and getting darker.

"The door is right ahead." He heard Dembe informing him.

"It better be…" Red huffed. "I need physiotherapy for my back anyway but now it is going to take me months until I'll be able to get back to my exercises."

When Dembe opened the door, bright light flooded the corridor and Red had to turn his head away for a moment.

"Wow…that's what I call a light at the end of the tunnel." He quipped, quickly stepping over the threshold and letting Dembe close the door behind them.

"The car is right there." Dembe gestured to the tree line in front of them and Red sighed in relief. The twinges and stabs of pain in his back were getting worse and he had to work very hard not to groan out loud.

The moment they reached the car, Red heard the door slam open and Ilia's voice shouting at his man in Russian.

"Time to go, Dembe."

Red positioned Liz on the seat as gently as possible and ran to the other side to slide in beside her and lean her body against his. The car sped off and Dembe couldn't hold back a quiet but forceful "yes." In victory. Turning around he glanced at his boss and the woman in his arms, whose Hair he was stroking.

"I called the FBI. They should find this place in a few minutes."

"That was good work, Dembe." Red praised, not looking up from Lizzie's pale face. "Now we just need a miracle for our Lizzie here."

tbc...

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><p>As always: please let me know what ya think!:)<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Here I am with a new chapter:)

I won't be talking to much before starting with it but I do want to thank all the guests who are writing reviews! Thank you so much!

Since I replaying to all the reviews every second or third chapter all the others know how much I appreciate every single comments;)THANK YOU AGAIN;)

And a big thank you to jonesy813 for once again keeping me sane before posting;)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

Red was panting and sweating by the time he carried Liz through the door of the hospital, calling for a stretcher and help. Liz' weight in his arms was getting heavier by the minute and he wasn't sure for how long he would be able to hold her. But he had refused letting Dembe carry her, he didn't even have a real explanation for it right now but he didn't care. Maybe he would analyze his behavior later on, when Liz was well and on her way to a full recovery and he could hide away in a dark room with a glass of very good alcohol on his hand. Right now though, he didn't want to let her out of his sight or his arms for that matter.

"Sir? What happened?" A woman questioned him loudly, positioning a stretcher underneath Liz, on which Red lowered her on immediately. He blinked repeatedly in the bright lights of the hospital and finally started to explain the situation, closing his eyes for a second to suppress the dizziness while doing so.

"She's been shot and drugged. I don't know what they gave her but she hasn't been responsive for hours."

"What's her name?"

Red hesitated for a second before answering.

"Diana Longfield."

He walked beside the stretcher, holding Liz' hand and ignoring the people telling him he couldn't go with her.

"Sir?" he looked up and his face went blank.

"I will not leave." He growled, not raising his head.

"But you can't go in there." The woman told him, her hand reaching out for Red's arm to hold him back from following Liz and the other doctors through a door. Faster than she could blink, her hand was snatched into a vice grip and the woman was pulled closer to Red's face. She could see the red veins in his eyes and the salty pearls of sweat clinging to his pale skin.

"Someone tried to kill her and I am the only one who can protect her. Now either you let me go in there with her or I will consider you a threat."

His deep voice was barely audible but it was loud enough to let the woman in front of him pale and shiver. She leaned away from him and shook of his hand.

"I could make an exception." She whispered and hurried away from him, albeit not far, since Red was following her immediately. Following her timid gesture, Red stayed behind the glass of the observation room of the OR and watched how the emergency team started to unravel the bandages on Liz' stomach and others hooked her up to machines.

Red felt his body tremble when the bandages came off and the angry blood red skin was revealed and the first cut was made with the scalpel. More red bubbled from her body and Red closed his eyes. A foul feeling in his own stomach made him bent over slightly until his forehead hit the cold glass in front of him. Leaning against it, he took several deep breathes and only opened his eyes again when a beeping sound invaded his mind.

He could hear Liz' heartrate over a machine and he wasn't too happy with it. Too fast. Her heart was beating too fast and too erratic. His own heart started to speed up and his breath started to come in fast pants. His hand wandered to the glass, pressing against it as if he wanted to reach out for her through it.

"C'mon, Lizzie. Don't leave me, sweetheart."

The glass in front of him fogged over from his breathes and for a moment, he lost sight of Liz and the doctors. Lifting his head to see better, the beeping elongated and Red believed that his heart stopped beating right with Liz'. All sounds drifted into a distance and his vision narrowed, only seeing the woman on the table. Her eyes were open but lifeless and her blood red lips slightly open.

Red couldn't stop staring at her. His mind screeching to a halt. His soul screaming out. His body refusing to stay conscious anymore.

And then there was blackness.

xxxxx

Emerging from the darkness, she felt as if her life had been sucked out of her.

The heat was unbearable. The smoke engulfing her and once again filling her lung ruthlessly. She was screaming for help. For her father, for her mother but no one came.

"Daddy…" she whimpered, clutching the bunny closer to her chest. She retreated until her body hit the wall and she sank to the floor, tears flowing down her cheeks, almost as hot as the flames around her. The sobs mingled with coughs and her hand rubbed over her stinging eyes. When she opened them again, there was a man in front of her. Although scared, she didn't recoil, she didn't flinch when he touched her arm and pulled her into his arms.

"Everything is going to be alright, sweetheart." He told her and pressed her into his body, holding his arms around her tiny waist.

"Close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you to." He said and she obeyed. She felt him move. His body quivering with the extortion and she thought fear. She wasn't the only one scared. That thought comforted her somehow.

She buried her face in his neck and inhaled the nice smell that was keeping the painful smoke out of her mouth and nose. Still keeping a tight grip on the stuffed animal, her arms found their way around his neck, fingers entangling themselves, leaving one hand with the inside facing out. The muscular arms around her tightened their grip and she whimpered when she felt something hit the man's back and her hand. When he started to topple over, cursing and breathing hard, she screamed.

"Damn it." His voice drifted into her scared mind. Kneeling down, he let go of her and started to struggle with his jacket that was now burning. His pain filled cries rang in her ears and when she looked down at her stinging wrist and saw the red, bubbly welts on it, the pain hit her and she joined him with her own wail of pain. She didn't know for how long she was sitting on the floor and clutching her wrist, when suddenly the man was back.

"Sh…sweetheart." the man's voice quivered, his shaking hand closing gently over her injured arm and his other arm picking her up again. "Don't cry. We're getting out of here now." Again, she hid her tearstained face in his neck and the small sobs escaping her mouth were muffled by his now charred shirt.

When the first breeze of fresh air ruffled her hair, she dared to peek up and another sob escaped her. Her house was burning. It was overtaken by the flames and smoke was coming from every single of the many windows.

"Shhh…" her savior's voice huskily tried to calm her. "You are safe now. You are a very brave girl."

She heard a car door open and the man bent down, groaning and cursing again quietly, while settling himself and her into the driver's seat.

"You can let go of me now, sweetheart." He told her but her arms stayed tightly wrapped around his neck and her breath tickled the sensitive spot of his burning skin.

Gently he pried her off his body and caressed a round, sooth covered cheek with his fingers.

"You're gonna be alright." He smiled at her warmly. "I'm going to bring you to a dear friend of mine, alright? He's going to take care of you."

She saw the surprise in his eyes and then the pain in them when she shook her head in refusal. Why couldn't she stay with him? He had helped her out of the house. He was so nice to her. And he smelled so nice.

When a tear started to roll over her cheek, the man smiled again and lifted her off his lap to sit her down beside him in the passenger seat.

"You can't stay with me." He explained in a hushed voice, not looking at her but putting the seat belt around her trembling body. "It would be too dangerous for you."

Bending down he dropped a quick kiss on her forehead whispering to her that it was alright to go to sleep now. That she was safe for now. And that's what she did. She fell asleep.

Next time she opened her eyes, bright light was shining into them and she smelled the nice smell again. Her face was pressed into the soft fabric of the man's shirt while he was carrying her towards a small house. Before he reached the steps, another man, older than the one carrying her, came running out and met them halfway.

"Red? What happened? Are you hurt? Is she hurt?"

"I'll explain everything later. Can you show me your bedroom so she can rest comfortably? She's been through a lot."

She saw the man nod and by the time they entered the house, she had fallen asleep again, clutching the man's shirt in one fist.

Raised voices woke her up. Whimpering when her wrist throbbed, she looked down and saw that it had been bandaged and she was grateful she didn't need to see the injury anymore. She padded to the closed door to listen what the voices were still arguing about. Her parents had always told her she shouldn't eavesdrop but she rarely had listened to them.

"You can't just leave her here! How am I supposed to explain a child in my home? What am I supposed to tell her when she get's older? She'll have questions!"

"I will arrange everything with the authorities and I will find a solution for her memories. She cannot remember what has happened. She has to forget." That was the nice man's voice again. She smiled, happy that he hadn't left while she had been sleeping.

"Red…this is insane."

"No." he had to be very angry. His voice broke off and she could hear him breathing loudly. "It is not insane. It's something we have to do to keep her safe. She will be the target of every criminal and every politician who is listed on this damn fulcrum."

"Are you even sure that she has the information of its whereabouts?" the older man sounded desperate. Maybe he was upset that he had to take care of her?

"As sure as everyone else who will be after it and ultimately her."

Her gaze shifted to the bed she had been sleeping in and the bunny sitting innocently on the pillow.

"We have a secret, bunny." She whispered. "You can never tell anyone."

Glancing back at the door she noticed that the voices had moved further away and slowly she climbed back into the bed, pulling her bunny into her arms.

"The nice man said I need to forget, bunny. You won't forget right? You will remind me, won't you?"

With that thought on her mind, she fell back asleep, only to be woken up half an hour later to a hand shaking her gently.

"Hey sweetheart." The good smelling greeted her and smiled. "I wanted to say goodbye to you. I have to leave now."

"D'you have to? Where are you going?" she slurred sleepily, prying her eyes open and reaching out a hand to him. He took her small hand in his and dropped a kiss on it.

"I have to princess. But I'll be back someday, I promise."

"When is someday?"

Red chuckled, and tweaked her nose gently.

"You're awfully inquisitive, aren't you?"

She giggled and swatted after his hand, while raising into a sitting position.

"What is…incuisitive?" she scrunched up her nose and her blue eyes sparkled up at him with a childlike curiosity.

"It means that you are a very smart girl." He told her seriously and smiled back when he saw her grinning proudly. He sighed then and drew his hand through her disheveled hair, leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

"I have to go now, Lizzie."

She nodded, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him to her as tight as her small body allowed.

"I like you Mr. Red. I will miss you."

When she pulled back, she noticed the tears gathering in his eyes but didn't comment on it, only smiling softly at him.

"I'll miss you too, sweetheart. Be good to Sam, he's going to be taking care of you."

Just when he was about to leave the room, her whisper held him back.

"Am I going to see my parents again?"

He didn't turn around, didn't look her in the eyes, only answered her truthfully.

"No, you won't"

With that last answer, he stepped out and closed the door behind him softly.

Slowly and trying to hold back tears, she stood up and went to the large window that was facing the street outside. She watched Red walk out of the house, going to his car and sliding in with a wince on his face. The door closed and within seconds, she watched his car pulling away from the house and driving down the street.

He was leaving her.

Or was she leaving him?

White light engulfed her and Liz started to feel light and comfortable. More relaxed than she had been for a long time

xxxxx

It was a saturday and the clouds were not only hanging dark and heavy over the hospital, but were also crying. Crying for a little girl that had lost her parents and been dragged into a life full of lies. Crying for a woman that had lost everything she believed was true in her life and they cried for a man, who had lost the only ray of light he had had left to keep his soul alive.

tbc...

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><p>I know you guys want to wring my neck right now...*HIDING*:) Please comment anyway;)<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

This one will be a bit shorter but I didnt want to leave you hanging for too long:) See? I can be nice:)

Alright, now on with the chapter and I hope you'll like it!

**Disclaimer:**Blacklist is not mine (for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

"Time of death…" the doctor glanced at his watch and sighed. "4.36 pm. Let her family know." Tiredly, he was starting to pull off his gloves, watching the nurses shutting off the machines around the lifeless woman on the table. The poor girl was half-naked and looked as if she had gone through hell in the last hours of her life. He shook his head in sadness. The world was turning darker every time he had to call the time of death of one of his patients. Taking the chart lying next to him, he started to write down what had happened. This had been his last patient for today. Now he would be going home into a dark, lonely apartment where no one waited for him since his wife had cheated on him and moved out with their two daughters.

He almost threw the chart through the whole operating room, when the body on the table suddenly convulsed and a gasping noise came out of it.

"Oh my god." He breathed, watching the spectacle for a second, but when he saw the woman's eyes open and twitch from side to side he came out of his shocked state instantly.

"Put her back on the medication. Hook her up people, we have a fighter here!"

Machines started beeping, hurried footsteps started walking from side to side but they were all halted again when a nurse looked to the observation room and frowned.

"Wasn't the husband watching from there?"

The doctor shrugged but titled his hand in the direction of the glass, telling her wordlessly to go check the situation out. He unpacked a new scalpel and as he was about to disinfect the wound once again, he heard the nurse yelling.

"Get a gurney…her husband fainted."

The doctor cursed, but didn't look up from his work while telling her to call another team in.

Within seconds, another team of doctors appeared in the doorway of the observation room and rushed to Red, examining him.

"He's dehydrated. Let's give him an IV and put him in a room." One of the doctors assessed and let his team do the rest of the work, while he stepped over to the microphone, clicking it on and asking his colleague "Busy night?"

"Hah…you have no idea." He answered without looking up from the wound where he currently was searching for the bullet that was obviously still lodged inside the young woman before him.

"She died, you know?" his voice was quieter now, as if he was speaking to himself and not a man behind a glass wall.

"She did? I guess it is her lucky day then."

With that, the doctor turned and followed his team and Red out of the room, leaving his colleague to his work.

Two hours later….

Red's eyes opened slowly and painfully. His head was feeling as if it would explode any second and his back was aching with no mercy. The white around him was unnerving and reminded him of the time he had to hide in the snow for hours. It has been one of the worst experiences of his life. The bitter cold gnawing at his bones and the wind whispering "sleep" to him.

Slowly he shook off the memories and turned his head and his eyes found an unexpected view in front of him.

Dembe was sitting on a chair beside his bed and reading a magazine. With a start, the memories came back to Red. The hospital. They weren't in the cell anymore. Lizzie…her heart stopping. Oh god, Lizzie.

"Dembe…where is she?" he croaked, almost hiccupping from the dryness in his throat and the panic rising.

Dembe looked up surprised and gave his friend a little smile.

"Good to see you awake."

"Dembe…" Red warned, trying to rise from his lying position on the bed, but Dembe put a strong hand on his arm, preventing him from moving any further.

"She is alright."

"Alright?" Red whispered, stopping every movement of his body. "I saw her die." Tears started to fill his eyes, but he didn't care that Dembe would see them. He had seen him in worse conditions.

"She did." His friend told him gently, not lifting his hand from his arm. "They called time of death." He stopped and shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "But she came back."

Red squeezed his eyes tightly shut and hung his head. Taking a deep breath, he held it for a few seconds, trying to calm down and when he exhaled, he felt the tension flowing out of him.

"How is she now?"

"She is in the ICU. She is not out of the woods yet, the doctor said, but he also wanted you to know that your _wife _is one hell of a fighter and he has great hope that she will recover. It may take a while though."

"I want to see her." Red suddenly felt strong again. Full of life and able to move mountains.

"You just woke up. You are still weak." Dembe's resistance was thin and didn't sound very convincing.

"Pf…" was Red's only answer and Dembe smiled while telling him that he would go search for a wheelchair.

Twenty minutes later, Red sat nervously in front of Liz' room and watched Dembe slowly opening the door. He peeked inside, seeing Liz lying in a bed, still surrounded by machines and dozens of cables. He stared at her while Dembe moved him closer, leaving him at her bedside while walking out.

Red watched her chest rise and fall and her eyes move under her eyelids. His hand rose from his lap and gently stroked over her cheek. She was still very pale, but those small movements and the sound of her breathing were more than Red had hoped for after hearing her heart stopping to beat.

"Oh my sweet darling." He breathed and his head fell forward, his forehead resting against her cold arm. Grasping her hand in both of his, he gently tried to rub some warmth into it and finally kissed her knuckles, his lips lingering for a moment against her soft skin.

"Never again scare me like that, Lizzie. You should know by now that I am lost without you." He sniffed slightly, rubbing his eyes against his arm to get rid of the tears, blurring his vision. He felt like a little boy, so powerless and so vulnerable.

When his memories turned to their time in the cell, Red's face contorted into a grimace and then became serious and stony.

"He will pay for this, Lizzie. I promise you he will pay for what he's done."

_Blacksite…_

"Who's your boss?"Ressler yelled, banging his fist on the table. Partly he just wanted to intimidate the sweating man in front of him, but he also felt the frustration and his anger calming when his skin started to tingle with pain.

The man, Luka was his name if he hadn't lied, was keeping his mouth shut about the people pulling the strings, but he did mention a young woman undergoing a therapy to find a particular memory. Since Dembe had called the FBI and Red and Liz were nowhere to be found, Ressler believed strongly that Liz was in trouble.

"Once again…" he said calmer. "…you have been holding a woman, an FBI agent, as a prisoner and used her as a guinea pig…and you think I will believe you that you are the big bad boss? You?" Ressler huffed mockingly but when there was no answer, he gripped the table tighter, refraining from hitting the man.

"Listen to me." He walked around the table and bent down to speak into Luka's ear. "We actually KNOW that there has been another man with you. We saw the prints in the mud. You fell and he left you behind. Or you stayed to cover his oh so important behind. Now, if you tell us where he went, we could cut a deal out for ya."

He heard the man sigh and saw him hanging his head. What a weak fool.

"I don't know where he is, alright? He left me there!"

Ressler smirked, patting the man's tense shoulder.

"Alright. I believe you." He sat down on his own chair again and leaned back, observing Luka carefully, before asking the next question.

"Who is he? You can tell me at least that much."

"Ilia."

"Last name?"

"I don't know." The man sounded resigned, but Ressler wasn't happy with his answer. Not happy at all. This would obviously stretch into a very long an uncomfortable evening.

tbc...

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><p>What ya think? All good again? You didnt really think I would let something so severe happen to Lizzie, right?;) Let me know what ya think:)<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

I am so sorry for the delay but I have been really busy the last few days and spring cleaning is breathing down my neck*hides untile the last possible moment*

Now, this is kind of a filler chapter but I want to thank jonesy813 for sparking the idea of Liz finding a way to kick Red's butt:) well, that is what my mind has made up and I hope it's ok;)

On we go with the chapter:)

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

Ten hours. Ten hours of waiting, stretching cramping legs and aching knees. Ten hours of squashing panic that was rising up and battling tears and ten hours of plotting and planning Ilia's death.

The doctors had told him that Liz wouldn't wake up in the next few days and that even when she eventually woke up she would be so out of it that she'd sleep through more than half of the day, which would be convenient, since the pain she'd be in would be extremely uncomfortable. Dembe had been in and out several times, trying to get his friend to leave for at least an hour to shower and get something to eat. When Red refused, Dembe found himself bringing him potatoes and chicken from the hospital canteen. Not what Red was used to, but he didn't complain once while wolfing down the food.

After another hour of watching Red sit at Liz' bed, Dembe came into the room, sighing and finally speaking up.

"Raymond, you need to change and shower. She will get a heart attack when she wakes up, seeing and smelling you."

Slowly Red turned his head to him and smirked.

"You are really wicked, Dembe. I have to give you that."

He groaned and slowly stood up, stifling a groan when once again a sharp pain shot through his back.

"You really should let them look at your back, Raymond."

With ease, Red ignored Dembe's suggestion and concentrated on Liz again. Leaning over her, Red kissed her forehead and buried his nose in her hair.

"I will be back as soon as I can, sweetheart. I won't leave you alone in this…sterile place."

With some difficulties Red detangled his fingers from Liz' and with one last caress over her hand, he turned his back and followed Dembe out of the room. Again he squinted in the harsh fluorescent lights in the hall and again he would have preferred to stay at Liz' side. The further he went, the louder the voice in his heart was becoming. "Go back, don't leave her, protect her"

Despite being, at least at every door he past, tempted to turn around and run back, Red managed to reach the car and slide inside without looking back once.

"Security is positioned in front of her room and outside the hospital." Dembe said, pocketing his cell phone while making himself comfortable in the driver's seat. Red nodded solemnly, looking out of the window. He was glad that he had someone he could trust, who would actually make the right decisions without Red having to tell him every single time what to do.

"I want to be back here as soon as I had a shower and a change of clothes." Red informed his friend, who simply nodded at him.

Approximately two hours later, Red was showered and finished dressing himself into a freshly ironed three-piece suit. The gray material was shiny and looked expensive enough to be worth a house. Red smirked at his reflection in the mirror and his hands wandered to his tie, tightening the knot slightly.

Taking a few steps back, he sat down onto the king sized bed and closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply and exhaling in a controlled and calm manner. His head was full of what if's and plans and fears and Red knew it was hindering him in thinking clearly. Hoping that a few minutes in complete silence would take care of this problem, he didn't even notice when his body slid sideways and made itself comfortable on the bed, finally getting the rest it desperately needed.

His eye popped open when a voice whispered into his ear and a hand stroked gently down his arm, grasping his hand in a light grip.

"Red." The voice called him again and as vision started to clear, he almost jumped a meter into the air when his eyes focused on Liz' smirking face.

"Wha…What?" he stuttered, rubbing his free hand over his eyes.

"For someone so articulate you sometimes seem to have problems to talk in my presence, Red."

"What?" Red had to admit that he felt slightly dump when he asked again but his brain just refused to wrap around the idea of Liz standing over him when she was supposed to be in the hospital.

"Seriously, Red?" her expression was one of pure amusement and Red sobered slightly.

"What are you doing here, Lizzie? I left you at the hospital only a few hours ago and you were dead to the world and certainly not able to walk."

"Well…I have my ways too, Red. And as far as your question goes…let me see." She pretended to think hard and then swatted his arm with her hand. Red flinched and a high pitched "autsch" came out of him, leaving him slightly embarrassed for his reaction.

"Don't be such a ninny." Liz laughed. "I am here to let you know that I am mad at you."

"Mad? At me? Shouldn't you be mad at Ilia?"

Liz let his hand go and stood from the bed to start pacing along Red's bed.

"You told me you wouldn't leave my side at the hospital. Before leaving, you remember?"

"I am sorry sweetheart, Dembe Insisted…"

"No, Red it's not about that. I am happy Dembe was able to get through that thick head of yours." She smiled but stopped her movement to stand next to him, looking down into his eyes.

"I am fine, Red. I am safe. You can leave me for a few hours and get this b…"

"Ah ah…language." Red admonished lightly. Liz rolled her eyes at that and continued.

"…this man, okay?"

"You obviously _are _alright, darling, since you wouldn't be standing here otherwise."

Liz snorted, shaking her head at the bewildered man in front of her.

"And I thought you were so smart…"

"Excuse me…?"

"I am not real, Red!"

When Red stayed silent and looked at her with wide eyes and an open mouth, Liz let herself fall down on the bed and patted his leg comfortingly.

"No, Raymond, I am not dead either."

The sound of his first name leaving her lips jerked him momentarily out of his shocked state and he sat up straighter.

"Now I am sure you are not real." He commented, reaching slowly over to her. His fingers connected with her face slowly and the warmth of her skin seeped into his body. "But you sure feel real, sweetheart."

"You seem to be dreaming very realistically."

"A dream?" Red asked a wicked grin appearing on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. "So you wouldn't punch me if I kissed you?" he drew nearer to her face and when he was only inches away from her lips, she spoke up.

"No, but don't forget that I am a part of your consciousness, so it's as if you were kissing yourself very passionately. Or maybe your reflection in the mirror."

Red pulled a face at that and leaned away from her.

"Thank's for the mental slap in the face." Sighing, turned his head from side to side and finally started to think clearly again.

"So you are saying I should go after Ilia personally?"

"Of course. You trust Dembe, but do you trust all of your associates as much as him? So you trust them with _this_?"

Red thought about that. She was right. He didn't trust any of his associates as much as Dembe and himself and this situation was personal. He saw Liz looking deeply into his eyes and smile.

"I knew you would see it my way." She laughed and jumped up, starting to turn away, walking to the door.

"Hey…where are you going?" Red called. It may not be his real Lizzie but she was good company and a lovely sight anyway.

"No time. You have to get going. The earlier you get him, the faster you will get back to the hospital. Hovering and being overprotective and all that."

Red's mouth opened to argue but then it snapped closed. No point in lying to himself about this.

"It was nice talking to you." He said instead and waved at her. Before she disappeared behind the door though, Liz turned around again and winked at him.

"You should tell me…or her…whatever… that you love her, Raymond. Just a thought, you know?"

With a start, Red sat up in bed and looked around the room timidly. What a weird and crazy dream, he thought and shook his head at himself. Glancing at the few wrinkles that had appeared on his suite, he frowned but shrugged it off while standing up and stretching his body carefully. He had to admit that he felt a lot better than before and his mind was now awake enough to start thinking rationally and logically. And yes, Liz was right in his dream. He needed to take care of Ilia himself. This man had attacked what was most precious to him and he needed to pay for it.

Slipping into his shoes and tying the laces, Red left his room in a hurry, finding Dembe watching TV in the living room.

"Dembe, we need to leave. Please, contact Agent Ressler and ask the boy if they caught anyone at the scene. I am sure they didn't manage to get Ilia but maybe they got someone who can lead us to him."

Dembe didn't comment but while he was pulling out his cell phone and dialing the well-known number of Ressler, he couldn't hold back a smile. It felt good to have the old Raymond Reddington back.

Fifteen minutes later, they were on their way to the Blacksite, Red almost not able to hold back an anxious thumb twiddling.

"Dembe I am telling you, Agent Ressler will never learn how to play criminals for his own agenda. Which I can't believe, by the way. He has such good teachers in us. He is just blind to the good it could do him and his reputation."

"You are teaching Agent Keen." Was Dembe's only answer to that topic and he grinned at Red's nodding.

When they entered Coopers office, Red didn't wait for a greeting or question of his whereabouts which would surely come otherwise.

"Hello Herold, how have you been?" Before Cooper could ask anything, Red held his hands up. "I know you must be curious about my whereabouts and I could tell you some very entertaining stories, but sadly I have no time. I want you to let Luka go."

A short silence filled the room, and then Cooper barked at Red.

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely."

Red's serious expression let Cooper hold in his next words, thinking about his demand.

"Why?"

"I assume he hasn't told you where Ilia is?"

"No…how do you exactly know about…"

"He doesn't know where he is, but when we let him know, Ilia will contact him and then he will lead us directly to him without us tearing our nerves apart while interrogating him."

Only an hour later Red got his will and Luka left the Blacksite as a free man, albeit looking over the shoulder all the way to the next bus station.

tbc...

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><p>Let me know what ya think and have a great weekend:)<p>

Oh by the way, am I the only one having problems with submitting "Copy N' Paste" files?I had to upload the document. First time it happened to me today...


	11. Chapter 11

here comes the next chapter. Still no Lizzie at that point but she needs to recover at least a little bit to be able to help, right?;)

Not much talking from me here , just a quick but BIG thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, following and favoring! Makes my day every time I read your comments!:)

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><p>Chapter 11<p>

"He just called someone." Dembe informed Red when he saw that Red put his own cell phone away. He nodded, but the frown on his face didn't vanish. Dembe started the car and followed Luka down the street.

"How is she?" Dembe asked quietly, observing Red in the review mirror.

"The same." He answered but didn't elaborate any further, so Dembe directed his concentration again onto the man he was following.

A few turns later, they entered one of the worst areas of the city and Red scrunched up his nose in disgust. The streets were full of garbage and every second corner seemed to be the sleeping place of a homeless person. The numerous stray dogs running around were earning Red's pity though and he shook his head. Why do those ordinary criminals always want to meet in those areas? Who would expect criminals conducting their business in a well-known zoo? Or in a park full of children and old ladies? No one and that was the whole point, which distinguished Raymond Reddington from average criminals.

"He stopped at the end of the street and seems to be waiting." Dembe told him, shaking him out of his thoughts. Leaning forward, Red watched Luka fidget with his hands and looking around nervously.

"So predictable." Red huffed and let himself relax against the seat, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

When his eyes registered a movement at the corner of his eyes, he craned his neck to see the man walking across the street, wearing jeans and an old pullover with stains on it.

"I guess our dear Ilia was watching the area from a very…down to earth perspective...literally. The look suits him though. He makes a good bum." Red muttered, not letting Ilia out of his sight for even a second. When he reached Luka, they started talking and the poor Luka didn't seem to be very happy with the situation he found himself in. Being released from custody because of lack of evidence, didn't mean at all that the FBI would forget about you and Luka knew that. No criminal would have any use for him now and the income he would lose because of that was tremendous.

Red watched Luka gesticulate wildly and his face becoming redder by the second with anger. Red smirked at his behavior but the smile vanished instantly when a gunshot rang through the area and Luka dropped to the ground lifeless as a doll.

"Well…that was indeed unexpected." Red murmured, his mind whirling, trying to comprehend what had just happened. He watched Ilia bent down over his dead associate and pat him down, taking his wallet and cell phone.

"Great…" Red groaned, licking his dry lips nervously. "We have to follow him, Dembe. If he takes the phone we won't have any lead on him."

His friend nodded in agreement, also watching Ilia walk down the street, as if he hadn't just killed a man a few seconds ago.

In a respective distance, Red and Dembe followed the man until they saw him turn a corner into a dead-end street.

"Take him." Red ordered calmly, feeling the car coming to a halt immediately. He observed Dembe turning the corner in an unhurried manner and let his head fall back against the seat in exhaustion. The nap in the safe house seemed to have helped only for a little while. The throbbing behind his eyes was coming back and his back ached. Slowly Red pulled out a vial with little pills out of his pocket and shook it while trying to decide if he should take one or not. When his concentration was broken by Dembe leading a gagged, bound and struggling Ilia towards the car, Red put away the vial and smirked. Seconds later the door opposite him opened and Ilia was thrust inside.

"Good evening, Ilia. So we meet again." His voice was nothing more than a purr, but Ilia knew that cats tend to purr not only when they are comfortable but also when they made a kill and were simply proud. He tried to yell at the man sitting next to him, but the gag prevented anything sensible to come out.

"Now, now, Ilia." Red admonished him, frowning for a second but grinning again when he saw Ilia stop his movements. "We don't want you to get hurt, right? And I believe this privilege of hurting you should be all mine." Red's face drew nearer to the other man's until their noses were almost touching. "Don't you think…Ilia?" he breathed and was satisfied to see the panic rising in Ilia's eyes. Easing back, he smiled even broader and clapped a hand against his thigh.

"So, let's talk." The smile disappeared from Red's face and his eyes bored into Ilia's brown ones. "You took someone that belongs to me. You've _hurt _someone that belongs to me. Now, I want to know why before I kill you and you know why I want to know that? Because I don't believe that you could have done this on your own. You are not smart enough, not brave enough to do this. Something or someone must have driven you and I know that your brother is one of the reasons you did it. Who is he? What does he know?"

Red waited for a second and then a laugh burst out of him.

"How rude of me. My apologies, I forgot you have this thing stuffed into your mouth." He reached out a hand, grasping the piece of material Dembe had put into Ilia's mouth and yanked it out, smiling contently when Ilia cried out in pain when portions of his tongue had dried, stuck themselves to the material and the sensitive skin broke with the material being torn out.

"Talk." The growl was deep and Red's eyes didn't leave Ilia's.

"My brother. He want's you. He wants revenge for his daughter."

Confusion spread through Red but he schooled his features not showing anything to the man in front of him. "Who is your brother?"

"I can't tell you." Ilia whined and Red was surprised to see his eyes tearing up.

"O come on, Ilia." Red rolled his eyes theatrically. "You wanted to be better than your brother. For once in your life actually be it."

"He's my family." Ilia shouted but only earned a headshake from Red.

"Alright. Who gave you the information about Elizabeth Keen?"

Ilia pressed his lips together until they turned a sickly white color. The war playing out in his head was evident to Red and he patiently waited for Ilia to finally answer his question. When he lowered his head, Red knew that he had won. Ilia would talk.

"I am listening, Ilia."

"Sharon Whitley."

Red's mouth formed an "o" in total surprise. He snapped it back shut, when Ilia raised his head.

"Thank you." Red said, his voice a deep whisper, without any emotion. "You can go now."

Red leaned forward, didn't comment Ilia's flinching, and loosened the rope around his hands.

"Get out of my sight and don't forget that you are on my list now. Not far from the top."

Within seconds, Ilia was out of the car and Red was reaching for Dembe's cell phone, dialing a well-known number.

"Mr. Kaplan. I just dropped a bug in a man's pocket. Track him. Find out who he and his brother are. I want him as translucent as a polished glass window." He sighed, adding. "Do _not_ lose him."

Dembe turned around to Red, observing his serious expression.

"Who is Sharon Whitley?" he asked. Red swallowed hard, too painful for him to even think about the woman, let alone talk about her. After forcing the bile down and inhaling deeply a couple of times, Red finally answered.

"Sharon Whitley was my colleague. She served with me and was assigned together with me to get the fulcrum."

Dembe leaned back, cursed strongly and wiped a hand over his face.

"Dembe, double security at the hospital. She cannot get to her. If she finds her…"

Red's face had become sickly pale and his hands started to tremble slightly. He gave Dembe the cell phone back and waited until he made all the necessary calls.

"Drive me back to Lizzie. There is nothing left for me to do here. Mr. Kaplan's people will shadow Ilia until we have all the information we need and Sharon… she will not be found. _She_ will find us."

_In a hotel somewhere in D.C…._

"What do you mean you lost contact?"

"I am sorry, boss, but he shut off his cell phone."

"And you didn't think of planting another bug on him?"

A short silence and then the man sighed.

"I didn't think…I mean, he is one of us."

The phone was thrown through the room and hit the wall with such a force that it burst into pieces. The woman sitting on the bed was steaming with anger but seconds later breathed in deeply and calmed herself down. Anger would only cloud her judgment. She stood up, stretching her long, shapely legs and walked towards the small mirror, hanging over the vanity. Her pale blue eyes were bright and alert, sharply taking in her own features in the reflection. Although dark smudges were visible under her eyes, her face looked younger than it's forty-five years. No apparent wrinkles were visible on her face and thanks to the wonders of hair dye's, there were also no gray streaks in her jet-black hair.

Her thoughts drifted to her current dilemma and her hands, clutching the backrest of a wooden chair, tightened until they hurt. The girl, so elusive over the years and then…because of one little mistake on Raymond Reddington's part suddenly in the open again. Visible for everyone. If the others knew what her name now was and what she looked like now, she would be a walking target, declared open for hunting. But no, she was the only one knowing who that woman was. Sharon wanted all the laurels to herself. Finding the girl, finding the fulcrum and finally destroy any evidence of that fateful night twenty-six years ago, that was the climax of government failures regarding this woman's family. Elizabeth Keen and her memories would finally stop being an unpredictable threat to Sharon'S bosses, cutting her free from the obligation and torture of being forced to search for that girl. Finally being able to live free and see her own daughter again.

And Reddington? He would be finally put to silence.

tbc...

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><p>Please let me know what you think:)<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

I am sorry for the delay guys, but I am still kind of very busy AND my muse kind of started to enjoy the great weather over here and left me for a while. I hope she'll be back soon;)

I guess here comes what we have all waited for: Lizzie waking up...well I wouldnt say that she is really awake again but hey...gotta start small, right?

Hope you'll like the chapter:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

Sitting down at Liz' bedside, Red took off his hat and carefully placed it onto the small table next to him. There was an untouched bottle of water standing on it and a closed pack of cookies. Red smiled. It was his favorite brand, imported from Puerto Rico and the only one knowing this was Dembe.

His friend had stayed outside, calling Mr. Kaplan and getting an update on Ilia.

Red's hand twitched nervously when he thought of that name. It would have been a pleasure to simply have his revenge but it wouldn't have served its purpose.

Before his hand could clench into a tight fist, Red grasped Liz' hand and took a deep, calming breath. His eyes were glued to her face and his fingers caressed the soft skin underneath them.

"You have to wake up, sweetheart." He whispered. "I feel like…there is a hole and I fear to fall into it. I never expected to feel…that much…for you." His voice became even quieter and deeper and his eyes moved away from her face to their joined hands. "I always liked you, admired you from afar. For your strength and your passion. You are sometimes too smart and too curious for your own good but that, Lizzie…is what makes you so special to me. Not our shared moment in the past. Not our connection that was formed at a time you can't even remember. No, it is because you are the most adorable, beautiful and wonderful person I have met since…" Red stopped and bit down onto his lip, his eye twitching twice, not wanting to go to the painful memories of his past life. "Since a long time, sweetheart."

If this had been a movie, Liz would have woken up now and heard what Red had just confessed, but it wasn't. Her eyes stayed closed and Red felt even more alone than before. Sighing, he leaned back, closing his eyes in exhaustion and worry. When the door creaked open, his eyes popped open and his head twisted around to see who was coming in. Instead of Dembe's familiar face, Red recognized the features of the nurse appearing from time to time at Liz' bedside.

"Hello." She greeted him quietly. She was still very young, maybe in her early twenties, and Red nodded at her when she walked past him, not meeting his eyes.

"I won't be long, Sir." She muttered and started writing some notes on the chart she was holding in her left arm.

"It's not a problem. You don't have to rush." Red's voice was rough and he could see the girl visibly shudder upon hearing it. Red sighed. Normally he enjoyed scaring the living daylight out of people but for some reason, since he finally had met Lizzie in person, this sport of his had become boring and more frustrating with every scared reaction he saw in relatively innocent people's eyes. He watched the girl scribbling away and hurry out within a minute after entering the room. His head was still turned in direction of the door, when a low moan from the bed startled him. His head turned so fast that for a second he was afraid it actually would fall off, but when he saw Lizzie's eyes flutter open slowly, all previous thoughts were forgotten and only Liz was on his mind.

"Can you hear me?" he whispered, drawing nearer to her. When she didn't answer, he frowned and stood up to be able to see into her eyes better.

"Sweetheart? Can you hear me?" he repeated his request and a smile formed on his face when her blue eyes snapped to his face.

He could see she was trying to form words but her mouth only opened, without a single sound coming out of it.

"Hold on." He whispered, patting her hand and reaching for the water bottle on the table. Uncapping it, Red slipped one hand behind Liz' head and gently lifted her it a few inches, holding the bottle to her lips. After a few sips, he withdrew it again and put it back on the table, without pulling his hand from under her head, enjoying the feeling of her soft hair against his skin.

"I am so glad you are finally awake. I was starting to worry that I would need to wait for ages." He chuckled. "And you know…I am not the youngest anymore."

A small smile, more like a grimace, appeared on her lips.

"Not…old." She pressed out between clenched teeth and closed her eyes. Red's smile faded and he frowned.

"Are you in pain? Should I get the doctor?"

The small shake of her head didn't really ease his worry, but he pulled back his hand which was hovering over the call button for the nurse.

"Talk to me." His deep voice penetrated her hazy thoughts and Liz focused her eyes more properly on his green ones.

"I saw you." She whispered, tears suddenly appearing in her eyes. Red titled his head in question, not understanding what she meant. She had been unconscious for hours and the sedation had been strong so he doubted she had been able to see him anywhere.

"You saved me." Her voice quivered, a tear finally losing the battle and rolling down her still pale cheek. Liz closed her eyes for a brief moment, gathering her thoughts. "Thank you…Red."

Still puzzled, Red settled for a reassuring smile and buried his hand even deeper in her hair, massaging her skin lightly with his fingertips.

"I will always save you, darling. I will always be there for you." His own voice started to get unsteady and he had to swallow the threatening tears. He didn't want to worry her by bawling his eyes out like a child. That wouldn't be something she needed to see right now. Maybe one day, but not right now.

Liz had closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle touch that was relaxing her and calming her scattered feelings. Inhaling deeply, she sniffled and blushed when it came out louder than she had expected. Opening her eyes again, she observed Red's reaction to her words and suddenly it dawned on her that he had no idea what she had been talking about. A heavy sigh worked its way out of her chest and she nodded to herself, leaning her head closer to Red's fingers, that were working miracles on her muscles right now. She would tell him later about her memories. She would thank him properly and make sure that he knew and understood how thankful she was. How glad she was to finally remember what had happened. How glad she was that he was by her side again. That he had cared enough for her as a child, that he had risked almost everything, including his life, to keep her safe.

Her thoughts wandered and blackness once again claimed her, but this time it was accompanied not by panic and desperation but a feeling of safety and calmness. Red wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Red noticed her starting to fall asleep again and smiled softly. She needed the rest. He didn't stop his calming motion with his fingers though. As long as she was allowing him to touch her, he would. It was not only calming her but him too.

He leaned forward and his lips touched the smooth skin of her cheek for a second.

"Sleep." He murmured against her skin, closing his own eyes in relief and exhaustion. "I will be here when you wake up."

_A few hours later…_

"Did you double security?" Red asked softly, not wanting to wake Liz, who was still sleeping peacefully. His hand hadn't left hers for all those hours he had been sitting next to her and waiting for her to wake up again and hopefully properly this time.

"I did." Dembe answered equally quietly and his eyes turned to Liz' form on the bed.

"How is she?" he added, when he saw their linked hands.

"She woke up for a few minutes but was pretty out of it." Red cleared his voice that was becoming raspy from hours of keeping silent. "She's been asleep since then."

Dembe watched Red's eyes wander to the motionless woman and stepped closer to the bed.

"What about long term consequences?" he barely got the words out, scared to shatter Red's serene silence and look of adoration while watching Liz' chest rise and fall with every breath she took.

"Physically?" Red asked and looked at Dembe seriously. "Probably nothing some physiotherapy won't cure." Red gently let her hand go and laid it on the sheets. Slowly he walked to the window and looked outside. "If you ask me about her mental state, my friend, I have to tell you that I am concerned." Turning around, Red scratched his head in a worried gesture. "To be imprisoned while injured and not receiving medical attantion is traumatizing enough, but to be drugged and…forced to remember." Red paused, hanging his head. "I don't know what she remembered, Dembe." He sighed. "I have no way of knowing how far back they took her and how thorough they have been."

"Are you concerned about her finding out that you have been present? About her _and_ them finding the Fulcrum?" Dembe asked quietly, seeing Red struggle with the answer.

"No." Red finally pressed out. If he was completely honest with himself. That hadn't been his prior concern for a longer time now. When they first met, his priority was to keep her safe from himself. The more she knew about him and their shared past, the more danger she would be in. With time, his priorities have shifted. It was his own weakness really. He couldn't keep her an arm's length away anymore. He didn't want her to see him just as a criminal and he didn't care what he had to enclose to her to let her feel loved and cherished, as long as he was sure to be able to protect her from the danger coming with it. "My concern is for her having to relive this one night in her life where she had lost everything. Her mother, her father and her identity. All three weren't ideal or safe for that matter, but it was her life non the less. I don't know what it will do to her if she remembers what has transpired this night." Red's hand clenched around the bed rail. "If the time comes, I will tell her in a careful way. In portions, for her to deal with. If she simply remembers it will be like a brick wall falling on her and I don't know if…"

Dembe's phone ringing stopped Red in his sentence and he nodded to Dembe to take the call. When the man disappeared behind the door, Red turned back to Liz and watched her for a while.

"What did you remember, Lizzie?" he asked, as expected not getting an answer.

When the door opened again and Red saw the look on his expression, all blood drained out of his face and his hands tightened further around the metal rail.

"East wing security lost contact with the hawks outside."

Red's eyes narrowed, his eyes turning into stone.

"Get a nurse in here." He snapped. "We need to move her immediately."

_Outside the hospital…_

Sharon was perched on a rooftop, watching her men take out Reddington's security one by one through a telescope. It was good to have contacts. That actually was an understatement, she thought to herself and smirked. Having many contacts had saved her life multiple times and was making her work so much easier. Everyone attempted to research, sitting for hours in their little rooms and browsing the internet for clues of some kind. She only needed to call people and the snowball effect was doing the work for her. Who would have guessed that Sharon's favorite yoga teacher had a sister, who was married to a doctor in this hospital and he had a little sister who not only was very chatty, but was also a nurse attending to Elizabeth Keen. And it took her only one phone call. Sharon had to admit that it had been luck too, but she liked to think that the old-fashioned way to conduct business was still the best. As far as she knew, Reddington had stayed true to those believes too and that was the reason why it was so hard to find him. But keeping Elizabeth and himself locked up in a public hospital? That was plain stupid. Emotions were getting into his way and Sharon knew it was her way in.

As far as she could tell, his security around and inside the hospital was quiet good. She didn't want to penetrate it completely yet. This was only a test. Finding out how distracted he was and it seemed that he wasn't as distracted as she would have wished. But there was no way out for them now. Her men had positioned themselves at every exit and were waiting.

This would be such a fun reunion.

tbc...

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><p>Please let me know if you liked it:) Thanks for reading:)<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

Hey there! I wanna tell you that I am SO sorry for this chapter...I think it is really bad but I didnt know what to change. You writers out there know the feeling when you kind of lose your grip on your story? As if you lost the sight of the goal and are floating in a limbo of...nothingness and everything together...

So strange! How do you overcome these phases? Please let me know if you have some tips for me! **PLEASE**

Special thanks to ** .3**, who wrote a comment a couple days ago and I was like stuck so badly with this chapter and when he wrote about a morgue, I was finally able to find the connecting piece for the middle and end of chapter! So thank you for that(I hope you are not too disappointed I didnt do it completely like you imagine;))

So guys: you see, writing reviews is REALLY making me write faster and better;)

Now on to the chapter:)

**Disclaimer: **Blacklist is not mine(for details, see prologue)

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><p>Chapter 13<p>

"You can't just wheel her out of here. She is critically injured and…"

"She will be critically dead if we don't get her out of here right now!" Red spat at the nurse standing before him. He was trying to suppress the urge to reach for his gun while she blocked his way to Liz' bed and glared at him.

"I need to contact her doctor…"

"Please do that, I don't mind." Red gave her a forced smile, watching her move out of the room. Quickly he made his way to Liz' side and pulled the blanket from her body. With skilled and fast movements, Red disconnected the machines from her and slid the needle from the IV out of her arm.

"Alright, Lizzie." He whispered. "This will be really uncomfortable, but you need to trust me." He didn't get any reaction until his hands slipped under her knees and started to lift her from the bed. A moan and then a groan came out of her parted lips and her eyes started to flutter.

Under any other circumstance, Red would have been overjoyed to see Liz waking up, but right now he feared she would be awake for some painful twists and turns while they maneuvered her out of the hospital as quickly as possible. She stirred in his arms and Red tightened his hold on her.

"Stay still, sweetheart. We're going on a little trip."

Liz frowned, blinking her eyes rapidly in confusion. The dull pain in her stomach was making her feel nauseous and the slight movements were not making it any better. And a trip? So not a good idea.

"Red…what?" Liz' tongue felt thick in her mouth and her words were slurred, but he could understand her perfectly fine, since his whole body and all his senses were in tune with her, while sitting her into the wheelchair and arranging her limbs as comfortable as possible.

"No time to explain, Lizzie. Just trust me."

His serious tone was frightening her. Red was never really serious. Not with her. Except for times when it was a life or death situation and if that was the case, Liz was completely unable to deal with it right now. She could feel her stitches starting to pull when Red moved the wheelchair forward. Although he was trying to be careful about it, pushing the chair was jarring Liz with every single of his steps. Before they reached the door, Dembe opened it for them and looked around suspiciously before nodding to Red to let him know that the immediate area was clear of danger. She blinked again, furiously trying to get the cobwebs out of her head. Instinct was telling her to be aware of her surroundings and be careful. When the fog at her peripheral vision started to lift, she glanced at Dembe and saw him calling someone. He listened intently and ended the call, turning to Red and her.

"Security has the car ready, but they say to go through the garage and not the main entrance."

"Alright." Red answered shorty, starting to push the wheelchair again, after pausing until Dembe finished his call.

Liz wound one arm around her stomach and slumped her shoulders, to get the pressure off of her stomach. When the pain lessened a bit, she turned her head as far as possible and tried to glare at Red.

"Where are we going? What's going on?"

A friend of mine wants to visit me, but I feel like she would be a little bit jealous of our little…how to call it?...Let's say relationship." He paused, pushed her into the lift that just dinged and opened its doors for them, staying behind her when they waited for the doors to close again.

"Relationship? Red…who…"

"There is no time to explain right now." Red repeated with a stony face. "But be assured that I will not let anything happen to you."

"To me? I thought she would…"

"Kill me?" Red chuckled. "What do you think of me, Lizzie? Not every woman I have ever met has some kind of grudge against me." He bent down to her and his lips graced her hair before settling next to her ear, his warm breath making her shiver. "Some would be really happy to see me again."

Before Liz could say another word, they reached the garage and the doors opened. Red started to wheel her out of lift, but Dembe suddenly stopped and held an arm up, halting Red's movements.

"Go back into the lift." He hissed and pushed his hand against Red's chest, stepping in front of him and rising his weapon.

"I guess we won't be taking the car then." Red joked, but his tone was deep and serious and Liz knew that he was only trying to keep her from worrying. Didn't he know that she knew him better by now?

Liz watched Dembe punching his fist against a button on the right wall of the lift and she frowned when she saw that they were going into the basement.

"Where are we going?" she tried again, hoping for an answer this time. To her surprise, it wasn't Red answering but Dembe.

"Our car is waiting for us in front of the garage, but I strongly believe the area has been compromised. We will have to take another way out now."

"Through the basement?" Liz asked incredulously, still fighting the fuzziness in her brain.

Just when the red digit on the wall was about to change into a _B, _Red hit the stop button and kneeled in front of her. Before she could react, Liz felt Red's hands frame her face and his thumbs caressing her skin. Her breath got stuck in her throat for a second when she felt his warmth seep into her and her eyes closed in their own volition.

"Lizzie." His deep voice made her look at him again and she had to admit that even when he was serious and situation was dire, his eyes comforted her and never failed at it. Her eyes wandered to his lips and watched them move when he started to speak again.

"You have to get your bearings now, Lizzie. I know you are hurt and in pain and don't know what is going on here right now, but there are people out there, waiting for us, who want to get their hands on us and eventually kill us. We need to keep a cool head and get out of here as fast and quietly as possible, alright?"

Liz could only nod. What else was she supposed to do? She couldn't get up, she couldn't help and as for now, she couldn't even think clearly.

Red gave her a smile and unexpectedly leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"You are a very brave girl, sweetheart." He gushed and grinned.

While drawing back and once more caressing Liz' cheek with his thumb, Red chuckled when he heard her murmured "Woman, not girl."

"Believe me, I know that." He told her, but didn't wait for a reaction from her. He let his hands fall away from her face and stood back up. With a quick movement, he punched the basement button and only a second later the lift pinged and the doors slit open effortlessly.

Dembe stepped around Red and with his gun in one hand and phone in the other, inched out of the elevator, looking around with narrowed eyes. At his curt nod, Red started to move her forward and a grimace passed over her features but no sound made it out. Liz gulped down the pain and looked around her, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness around her. When she finally was able to see at least a little bit around her, she was surprised to find herself in a nicely decorated corridor. Wasn't that supposed to be a basement? Her wondering was cut short though, when they stopped in front of a metal door. Titling her head upwards, she tried to read the label next to the entrance. The air almost left her lungs completely when she read the bold letters. **Morggue**

Red must have heard the little gasp, because his soft laugh entered her awareness almost immediately and made her shiver and look up to him. His right hand left the handle of the wheelchair and snaked forward to grasp her shoulder in a reassuring grip.

"No worries, sweetheart. We are not going in there. At least as long as I can prevent it."

"Not funny." Liz muttered and inhaled the much needed air. Hearing rustling, her head snapped to Dembe and she had to observe, how obviously Red's rule didn't apply to Dembe, since he was opening the door and stepping inside.

"What's he doing?"

"Getting us some more weapons." Red answered emotionlessly. "I do not believe that two guns will be enough to break the barrier around the hospital."

"Barrier?" Liz questioned, eyes narrowing and hands starting to sweat. "I kind of thought there were just a few guys outside."

"Well." Red smacked his lips, watching the corridors intently, his eyes moving jerkily from one side to the other. "I was wrong."

If it hadn't been such a dire and almost surreal situation, Liz knew she would have laughed now and mocked him jokingly for admitting to being wrong. It didn't happen too often, after all.

She jerked slightly in her chair when the morgue door was thrown open and Dembe stepped out with a few small items in his hand. Handing one of them to Liz, she recognized a small scalpel being put into her hand. For a moment, she looked at the object with a befuddled expression, but her brain caught up quickly when she felt the air move around her and the scenery started to change around her one more. Bile suddenly rose up in her and she swallowed a few times, closing her eyes tightly and breathing deeply.

"Please…" she whispered. "No suddenly movements anymore."

Red didn't answer, which made her feel even sicker. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Dembe listening at a door and Red standing in front of her. "Red?"

Her mouth went dry when she saw Dembe's hand move to the doorknob and turn it slowly.

Her heart almost jumped out of her throat when the door suddenly moved towards them and Dembe flew against the wall, groaning. Her hand turned almost white from gripping the scalpel in her hand, but she didn't make a move to stand up. As if paralyzed, she watched Red pushing his own scalpel into a man's abdomen and punch another one in the face. The movements were a blur before her and before even the thought of getting up and joining the fight could enter her brain, a gun went off and all movements ceased immediately, all heads turned back towards the open door. A beam of light hit first Red and then Liz' eyes and she had to squeeze them tightly, waiting for the twinkling lights to disappear from her vision.

"Well, well, well…"

Liz' eyes flew open when she heard the female voice. In the doorway, followed by at least five armed men, stood a woman's silhouette.

"Hello, Ray. This early meeting wasn't planned but I take what I can get…as you know."

Red stayed mute, letting his arms fall from the man he had been holding on in place for a punch.

"What?" the woman mocked. "You don't remember me? Your old partner? Your buddy?"

Dust particles were dancing in the light beams and Liz felt her nose tickle, making her feel like rolling her eyes might relief the stress she was feeling inside herself. But she held the need to do so in check. It would be childish. It would be inappropriate. Her eyes lowered and caught a glimpse of light reflecting on the scalpel in her hand. Slowly she slid it back until the point of it was hidden in her fist. Just when it disappeared from view, light once again blinded her painfully.

"And who might that be?" the woman gushed sweetly. "Is that the little Elizabeth?

Footsteps came closer and Liz was wondering why Red wasn't saying anything, but she couldn't see anything through the bright light. Suddenly she smelled a minty breath, mixed with a fruity perfume.

"It is such an honor meeting you. Let's have a girl's night out."

tbc...

* * *

><p>*hide far far FAR away*<p>

P.S. sorry for all the mistakes! I was kinda too busy to send the chapter to my beta!*turning red in shame*


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